Jake Gyllenhaal's Action Thriller With Conor McGregor Is Finding Brand New Fans On Prime Video
The world of streaming can be strange sometimes. As viewers scroll through the endless sea of titles in order to find something to watch, random things can begin trending seemingly out of nowhere. Such is the case with the 2024 "Road House" remake, which was released more than two years ago, and yet, here we are, with the movie finding brand new life on Prime Video as we speak.
Directed by Doug Liman ("Edge of Tomorrow"), the "Road House" remake is much darker than the original '80s Patrick Swayze classic. As of this writing, it's sitting at number five on the Prime Video charts, per FlixPatrol. That does feel pretty surprising, in light of the many, many other titles available to subscribers via Amazon's streaming service. But, again, here we are.
The movie centers on Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal), an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past. Barely scraping by on his reputation as a former fighter, he is spotted by Frankie (Jessica Williams), the owner of a roadhouse in Florida. She hires him to be her new bouncer in hopes of stopping a violent gang that works for Brandt (Billy Magnussen), a local crime boss who seeks to destroy her beloved bar. Brandt's crew is no match for Dalton's skills, but things change with the arrival of a ruthless gun-for-hire named Knox (Conor McGregor).
McGregor and Gyllenhaal mentored each other on the set of "Road House," as they both came to the movie with particular sets of skills. Gyllenhaal is a world class actor, having starred in everything from "Donnie Darko" to "Brokeback Mountain." McGregor, meanwhile, is a former UFC champion who built a career on fighting in real life. That may actually help to explain why this movie is suddenly trending again, though.
Road House was a pricey reboot mired in controversy
Conor McGregor recently returned to the Octagon for UFC 329, which proved to be unceremonious since the fight ended in just 69 seconds after the fighter suffered a knee injury (per CBS). This also came with a lot of controversy, as McGregor has been at the center of everything from a civil case involving sexual assault to allegations of racist conduct.
McGregor is far from the only source of controversy connected to "Road House," either. The film spent years in development hell. At one point, it even had Ronda Rousey lined up to star and "The Notebook" director Nick Cassavetes calling the shots. Yes, really. When it finally did arrive, it did so amidst a wave of mixed reviews, with /Film's Jacob Hall calling Jake Gyllenhaal the "only reason" to watch the "Road House" remake in his review. All the same, it was very successful for Amazon, skipping theaters and going direct-to-streaming.
However, that was a pretty big sticking point for Doug Liman, who was very vocal about having wanted the film to play in theaters. "We made the movie for MGM to be in theaters, everyone was paid as if it was going to be in theaters. Then Amazon switched it on us and nobody got compensated," Liman told IndieWire in July 2024. "I didn't get a cent, Jake Gyllenhaal didn't get a cent, [producer] Joel Silver didn't get a cent. That's wrong."
Liman later tried to get back at Amazon by announcing his own "Road House" sequel, which is separate from the "Road House 2" that Gyllenhaal is starring in for Prime Video. It's a weird, messy situation. But people really seem to like the movie itself, so that's something.
"Road House" is streaming now on Prime Video.