'Road House' revisited: How Jake Gyllenhaal remake compares to Patrick Swayze cult classic

Let’s get this out of the way first: There’s a distinct lack of throat-ripping in the new “Road House.”

That might be a bummer to those who adored the well-over-the-top 1989 action flick starring Patrick Swayze. The latest “Road House” (streaming now on Prime Video) features Jake Gyllenhaal as a man named Dalton who, like Swayze’s character, is hired to clean up a rowdy bar where fights and violence erupt nightly.

There are certainly similarities between the two-fisted tales but also some key differences – for one, the ’89 film took place in a small Missouri town, the new one on an island in the Florida Keys. Here’s a rundown of how the solid and surprisingly funny “Road House” remake compares to the cult-classic cheeseball original (available on Prime Video and Max).

What’s the same, what’s different between ‘Road House’ 1989 and the 2024 remake?

The general premise carries over, and there are echoes between both movies. Both Daltons enjoy coffee, have anger issues, are trying to move on from a deadly incident in their past, are uncannily good at patching themselves up from nasty wounds, and get friendly with a local doctor (played by Kelly Lynch for Swayze, Daniela Melchior for Gyllenhaal). They also share the signature “Road House” line: “No one ever wins in a fight.”

However, the original movie is very ‘80s in terms of its over-the-top vibe, with chair-throwing brawls set in a sweaty honky tonk. The new “House” is a more scenic affair, with a bar on the water, boats and even a hungry crocodile. It’s also heavily influenced by mixed martial arts and UFC, since Gyllenhaal’s Dalton goes from being a dangerous fighter in the octagon to breaking bones in a breezy tavern setting. (The original movie’s bar name, the Double Deuce, garners an Easter egg in the new film.)

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Who’s the best Dalton: Patrick Swayze or Jake Gyllenhaal?

For starters, Swayze’s Dalton – a quiet and philosophical guy with tai chi skills and a guilt complex – is one of the late actor’s most memorable roles where he wasn’t dancing or making pottery. It's not Gyllenhaal's usual forte, though he's done rough-and-tumble before (see: 2015’s “Southpaw”), and the Oscar-nominated star isn't too shabby an action star. Yet even though they share the same last name, their Daltons are very different personalities.

Swayze’s Dalton is pretty much a throat-ripping urban legend, traveling the country and going where he needs to go for the sake of bar furniture everywhere. There’s even a running joke where everybody tells him, “I thought you’d be bigger.” But he’s done this before when we meet him – not so with Gyllenhaal’s Dalton, whose first name is Elwood. (Swayze’s is James, but it’s never uttered in the movie and only seen on a hospital record.)

Bar owner Frankie (Jessica Williams) is actually looking for someone else when she ends up hiring Elwood as her head bouncer, even though he’s seemingly never had a bouncing gig. It’s a choice that doesn’t work that logically, but, hey, Elwood’s still aces at power-slapping ruffians and teaching his employees how to deal with various weaponed roustabouts. (Gyllenhaal doesn’t rip throats but does wallop one dude’s trachea.)

Which ‘Road House’ has the better supporting cast? (Hint: Conor McGregor)

The original “Road House” offers Sam Elliott as Dalton’s best bouncer friend Wade, so that's a bonus. Lynch is a steamier love interest for Swayze, though Melchior’s doctor and Gyllenhaal’s Dalton have a nice picnic on the water and she's good at bailing him when the cops rough him up. And the OG movie has the much better primary villain: Ben Gazzara is cruel and intense as Brad Wesley, a crime lord who runs the town, while Billy Magnussen’s Ben Brandt, who’s trying to obtain Frankie’s road house for nefarious purposes, leans sort of goofy.

What the new “Road House” really has going for it is real-life Irish fighter Conor McGregor in his first movie role. Most of the henchmen in the first film are boring ‘80s-style goons (the exception being pro wrestler Terry Funk) but McGregor is different: His charismatic brute Knox steals scenes maniacally swinging a golf club, throwing down with Gyllenhaal in a vicious final battle, and showing his bare posterior. Interestingly enough, just like Swayze back in the day.