Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal), an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past and his penchant for violence, in this adrenaline-fueled actioner. Dalton is barely scraping by on the reputation that still precedes him when he is spotted by Frankie (Jessica Williams), owner of a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. She hires him to be her new bouncer in hopes of stopping a violent gang, working for crime boss Brandt (Billy Magnussen), from destroying her beloved bar. Even five to one, Brandt’s crew is no match for Dalton’s skills. But the stakes get higher with the arrival of ruthless gun-for-hire, Knox (Conor McGregor). As the brutal brawls and bloodshed escalate, the tropical Keys prove more dangerous than anything Dalton ever faced in the Octagon.

Regarding 1980s action classics, Road House ranks up there as one of the all-time great cheesy action watches. Starring the late great Patrick Swayze as Dalton, the ‘best damn cooler in the game’, Road House was the ultimate cheesy-action picture thanks to its classic lines, smash-mouth brawls and Swayze’s immense swagger. Now director, Doug Liman, a noted action filmmaker with credits including The Bourne Identity, Jumper and American Made, and all-star American A-lister Jake Gyllenhaal are here to revamp Road House for an all-new era. And this action pic packs a punch. Moving the action from the cowboy patch of Missouri to the sun-kissed sand of the Florida Keys, Liman reinvents 2024’s Road House in the vein of a western with his Dalton as a wandering cowboy tough guy who finds his way into a small town with plenty of bad juju who then has to put things right with his fists and plenty of brawn.

Liman’s approach to 2024’s Road House is driven by the fact that he’s very aware of the film’s reputation, and his desire is definitely to make a film that holds up to the original’s classic macho swag but also to inject it with a new energy and setting that makes it equal parts grittier and sexier in good measure. In describing Road House, the best word to sum it up is certainly ‘swagger’, and there’s plenty of it with this all-action piece of fun. The punches land hard, the heroes are slick as can be, the explosions are loud, and the villains are absolute maniacs. Throw in a dash of love and one hell of a brawl, and well, things get fun. What you’ve got with Road House is just a full dose of pop-corn action movie excitement, and it’s a wild ride from beginning to end.

Stepping up to take on the door and jump into the breach from the great Patrick Swayze is Jake Gyllenhaal, one of Hollywood’s reigning golden boys, and damn, is he having a good time with this picture. Gyllenhaal’s Elwood Dalton is a former UFC fighter with a checkered and brutal past that has left him as a broken, bitter and haunted man. With nothing left, he takes a job at a run-down Road House in the Florida Keys, where things get interesting. Gyllenhaal embodies the classic cowboy, John Wayne spirit with his take on Dalton, and he’s got the grit and the power to not back down from a fight. And he’s freaking JACKED as well! All of it leaves him as a formidable hero with something to prove, and when he sees that bad things are happening, he can’t help but step up.

Two-time UFC champion Conor McGregor is facing down Gyllenhaal’s Dalton and making his screen debut as the unhinged, aggressive and maniacal Knox. And damn, does he have a blast in this picture. McGregor’s mantra has long been that ‘he’s here to take over’, and he damn well delivers with his performance as Knox, a violent, psychopathic mercenary who has a speciality for roughing people up, and all while having a good time doing it. The part of Knox was tailor-made for McGregor, and he absolutely goes for it with this performance, taking his natural extroverted energy and throwing it into this wild and off-the-chain character. He also makes for a hell of a villain for Gyllenhaal’s Dalton to take on, and damn do they rumble. McGregor goes for it here in Road House, and Hollywood had better watch out because he’s coming for the belt and is ready to make his mark on the acting game.

Road House offers up action, action and more action, and for film junkies who are in need of their fix, well, they’ll get it with this picture. We’re talking about fist fighting, bar smashing, body bashing, explosive wrecking fun, and all of it ramps up the experience and adrenaline of Road House. The crux of it comes down to the mano-o-mano fight between Gyllenhaal’s Dalton and McGregor’s Knox, and it’s a beatdown of epic proportions. Both fighters throw in a mix of full-on mixed martial arts mayhem, and Liman’s camera work puts you right in the middle of the fight. But there ain’t no belt in this bout, and it’s winner-take-all in the biggest, baddest brawl of the year!

Road House is just a straight-up good dose of fun, and audiences out for a good time will get it with this one. Thanks to a combination of a modern-day cowboy hero who has stepped out of the Octagon and onto the door looking for a fight, an outlandish uber-villain keen for a scrap, and some totally wild action set pieces, Road House is just straight-up over-the-top fun delivered in the best way possible.

Image: Prime Video

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Here’s the synopsis:

When veteran TWA pilot Barry Seal (Cruise) is recruited by the CIA to deliver weapons to defeat communists in Central America he thinks nothing of it. This one-time job leads this easy-going family man and all-American pilot into the world of drug smuggling and he’s soon linking up with Pablo Escobar and the notorious Medellin cartel. But as Seal begins to roll in the cash he discovers that he is just a pawn in a larger, more complex operation and his actions lead directly to the embarrassing Iran-Contra scandal that rocked the Reagan administration. 

Check out the trailer below:

Packed with guns, money, drugs, and sex this outrageous true story has everything to keep audiences entertained. Cruise appears to be in his element as the flawed everyman, sporting a spot-on Southern accent, along with getting to show off his lifelong passion for aviation with the film’s thrilling aerial scenes.

American Made will be released on August 24 in New Zealand and Australia and on September 29 in the US and UK.

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In the near future an alien force known as the Mimics are threatening to destroy earth and humanity. Career military officer Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), who has never seen a day in combat, earns the scorn of his superiors and is chucked head first into combat. His tour of duty isn’t very long, and he is quickly killed, but not before taking down a Mimic Alpha and taping into their ability to ‘reset’ the day. Now with the ability to relive the same day over and over again Cage enlists the help of Special Forces soldier Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), and becomes the ultimate warrior, and now has a chance to defeat the Mimics and save the world.

Cruise shines in the role of Major William Cage, a high flying military PR officer, whose job it is to sell the war, and who until now, has never even served a day in combat. His trajectory from oafish, spinmaster ad man to grunt is pretty quick, and the realities of war hit him square in the chest. But not before he takes down one of the enemy with him, tapping into their power to control time and space. With his reset power in hand and a keen intellect and set of reflexes he becomes the ultimate gunmetal warrior, blowing through round after round of alien monsters in an exo-skeleton suit which becomes like a second skin. But while he might end up as the ultimate soldier, he also allows Cage moments of gripping dramatic tension and guaranteed comedic gold. A running gag of how many different ways Cage can die never gets old, as is the seriousness of how important these deaths become to the pursuit of winning the war. Cruise is clearly having a blast making this movie, and his enthusiasm and commitment to the character shines in every single frame of the film. He’s at the top of his game, and his journey from grunt to badass is pretty cool to watch.

The film also stars Emily Blunt as Rita Vrataski, also known as ‘the Angel of Verdun’, also known as the ‘Full Metal Bitch’. Vrataski is a no-nonsense tough chick, a decorated Special Forces soldier, who recognizes what Cage has become and set’s out to turn him into a super soldier, who with her help might be able to defeat the Mimics and save humanity. Vrataski is also presented as a Joan of Arc figure, a fighting angel held up as the possible savior of the world, but even in her messiah like status she is not devoid of emotions such as love and fear, which Vratasksi seems desperate to hide, and which Blunt does an excellent job of portraying. Cruise and Blunt stand toe to toe with each other and this is the very reason the film works, while there’s enough explosions and action to keep the audience primed, the solid acting from these two co-stars will keep them gripped in their seats, as both actors are at their very best.

Finally there’s Bill Paxton, and man is he a hoot. Where Paxton was once the ever loveable, wisecracking, smartass Hudson in ‘Aliens’, here as Master Sergeant Farrell Bartolome he’s a completely different man. Master Sergeant Bartolome is a complete spit and polish career grunt, who is the complete and utter opposite of Hudson, he’s an intentional hard ass, who likes the fact that he is the biggest hardass in the military, and loves nothing more than berating his squad in both the glories of combat, and of their failures, which are particularly funny to watch.

Edge Of Tomorrow is simply a phenomenal movie. If you go into it thinking that you’ll just witness a ‘Groundhog Day/Starship Troopers’ mashup, then I’m telling you now you’ll be very disappointed. While the film is an action junkies dream, it also takes a serious look at concepts and ideas such as fate, time and the future. There’s been a lot of thought placed into this movie, and even in the most crazy action spectacular scene (and believe me there are a few of them), you will find yourself drawn into its phenomenal and gripping story.

Director Doug Liman is at his best here, and Edge of Tomorrow is easily his best film since 2002’s ‘The Bourne Identity’, the action scenes that he crafts are nothing short of genius. The film’s time travel plot point also allows for a continual shift in the action, so nothing is ever really presented in the same way, and the rapid-fire cutting, and Christophe Beck’s intense score really pushes the action forward. Part of what makes Edge of Tomorrow so awesome is the exo-skeleton battle suits that Cruise and Blunt get to use, these things pack a serious amount of hardware, and with the amount of munitions that Cruise and Blunt go through, its kind of amazing that there was still a world left to save, it’s intense!

The film also has absolute ingenious moments showcasing the many ways in which Tom Cruise can be killed. Some are serious and dramatic, while others are just lough out loud funny. And off course every time he does die, he comes back better and better, until he is the ultimate alien killer. It’s just fantastic.

Edge Of Tomorrow is so far the best film I’ve seen all year, it is an intense, visceral action spectacular, with a solid pair of actors who are at their very best. It’s an absolute thrill ride, don’t miss it!

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