The 1989 classic Road House movie might have a lot more mystery to unravel about the protagonist. And in a way might have made him look like Jack Reacher. But Doug Liman has a unique way of storytelling for a generation where mystery or anonymity is just a misnomer. To me, this 2014 remake of the classic appeared to be a refreshing take. There might be some people who prefer not to tamper with the original classic and would want to see the same script in the same old style but believe me this one has its charm.

The story begins when Elwood Dalton is approached by a lady named Frankie outside a fight club for a job offer. After a bit of reluctance, Dalton still keeps her contact details. Before he accepts the offer and makes his journey to the RoadHouse in Glass Keys, Florida, we see a small scene sequence where Dalton tries to end his life on a railway track. And in a matter of a few seconds, he decides to give it a second chance. What we saw there is a bit of a problem in the storytelling as the character arc of Elwood Dalton wasn’t yet open for us and without any background to his past life, we were forced to see that scene. To me, it appeared as if Doug Liman tried to forcefully put up a scene just to create a false mystery for the protagonist. It looked half-baked and too short for the audience to get a hold of his mysterious character arc.

Now, if you can get past that scene and ignore the hurriedness, the rest of the movie is an enjoyable ride. From the moment Dalton puts his foot at Glass Keys as a bouncer till the climax where he fights Conor McGregor (the actual UFC fighter hired in the movie and portrayed as a villain), you’re only going to enjoy it. The fight sequences are fun to watch and whatever acting follows it is wholesome. The quirky dialogues that are part of Elwood Dalton’s style of fighting do remind us of that of Marvel’s Spider-Man but if you look a bit deeper it is a departure from the old classic. Now, this little addition is a good mix but given the fact that Dalton’s inner anger comes out after a while, this humor does seem to be a mismatch at times.

If you’re someone who is offended by these nuances that Doug Liman tried to bring in, I believe that a rewatch of the 1989 classic would be more appropriate. But, if you’re someone like me who likes to watch retakes on old subjects, this movie would not disappoint. The terrifying Conor McGregor comes out alive just before the credits paving the way for fans to wait for something in the next installment. The final fight sequence might seem a bit short, but I believe that Liman might be saving it for the subsequent installments.