Did Jake Gyllenhaal Really Fight In Road House? Choreography, UFC Filming & CGI Explained

SPOILERS ahead for Road House (2024).Jake Gyllenhaal stars in 2024’s action-packed Road House remake, begging the question of whether he performed his own fight stunts for the film. Gyllenhaal leads the Road House cast as Dalton, a retired UFC fighter who becomes a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse. The area is plagued by corruption at the hands of Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen), who hires enforcers to damage local businesses so he can buy them up for property value. Dalton becomes a local hero as he defends the roadhouse from their oppression.

Road House also features MMA fighter Conor McGregor in his first film performance, which indicates from the get-go that the film should have some dedication to its action sequences. Stars like Keanu Reeves and Tom Cruise are praised for their work in action movies, as they’ve consistently performed their own action sequences. Seeing actors perform their fights adds a layer of realism, allowing the movie to avoid constant cutaways and overt use of special effects. Still, learning fight choreography is physically demanding work that takes time and dedication, and not every actor is willing to do so.

Jake Gyllenhaal Learned Fight Choreography For Road House

Not every movie star is willing to entrench themselves in fight choreography, but Jake Gyllenhaal went all-out in embracing the action. One of the reasons Road House has received such positive acclaim is that it feels like a true action-hero movie. The fight scenes are incredibly engaging, and even non-action movie fans can feel enthralled by the visceral hits and bone breaks deployed by the film. Gyllenhaal learning the choreography himself, after training for several months with a professional fighter, is a massive component of that excellence.

In an interview with GQ, stunt coordinator Garrett Warren praised Gyllenhaal for not only his dedication to learning fight choreography but also for his ingenuity. The Road House ending sees Dalton face off in a brutal battle with McGregor’s villain character, Knox. The fight ends with Dalton stabbing Knox several times with shards of wood. Warren explains, “That was Jake. Jake made that up,” and adds, “Jake was instrumental on so much of the fight work.”

In addition to learning fight choreography, Gyllenhaal underwent a rigorous workout routine to prepare himself physically for the role. The hard work and dedication prove effective in both aspects, as Gyllenhaal believably holds his own against a professional fighter like Conor McGregor. Gyllenhaal may have a height advantage over his on-screen rival, but McGregor has an imposing screen presence, and even just facing off with him would require dedication to seem believable.

Jake Gyllenhaal Did Real Fight Scenes With Conor McGregor

A professional athlete like Conor McGregor isn’t brought into a fighting movie if he’s not going to do his own fights, and one of the most impressive aspects of Road House is the combat between him and Gyllenhaal. Doing press for the film, both stars described the punishing process of shooting staged fights. Obviously, actors aren’t trying to hit each other, but contact is bound to happen when going at it long enough. There will always be unexpected blows and injuries to deal with, but it’s all part of the process.

Jake Gyllenhaal described working on intense fight scenes with McGregor in an interview with Decider, saying, “But, generally, given the amount of fighting we did on this movie, I’m surprised that we didn’t actually make contact more often.” He adds: “The irony is you’re working with a professional fighter, and their measurement of distance is wholly different than anybody who’s a non-professional.” Both stars have been vocal in praise for each other, Gyllenhaal for McGregor’s support on fight scenes, and McGregor for Gyllenhaal welcoming him as an actor.

Did Jake Gyllenhaal Really Film Road House At A Real UFC Event?

Flashbacks in Road House show the backstory for Jake Gyllenhaal’s Dalton, where he was a UFC fighter who infamously killed his opponent in the ring. The UFC sequences are remarkably realistic, and the reason for that is that part of Road House was filmed at an actual sporting event. In March 2023, Jake Gyllenhaal surprised audiences at the actual UFC 285, which featured Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane as its main event. The movie star appeared shredded for a staredown with Jay Hieron, the MMA fighter turned actor and stuntman who appears in the film as Jax ‘Jetway’ Harris.

To promote the film and its part in it, UFC even tweeted a promotional video for the fake “Dalton vs. Harris” fight. A vital aspect of Road House’s marketability is its ties with the sports league, and appearing at an actual event simultaneously added authenticity to the flashback scenes while also promoting the movie. Gyllenhaal’s appearance at UFC 285 quickly spread around the internet in 2023, building anticipation for the Prime Video movie. In the same sense, involving Conor McGregor contributes to that marketability.

How Road House Used CGI For Fight Scenes

The Prime Video Road House remake has had controversies, and on top of that, it’s been criticized for its use of CGI in fight scenes. Gyllenhaal and McGregor have enforced the idea that much of the fighting was authentic, and while this is true, director Doug Liman also incorporated computer effects to enhance the scenes in post-production. While the film has received mostly positive acclaim, particularly for its action, the CGI is noticeable and shaky at certain times. During the bar fight scene and especially during the boat fight sequence, there’s notable CGI use.

Actor and martial artist Scott Adkins, who recently played Killa in John Wick: Chapter 4, was critical of the film’s CGI use, speaking out on X. He exclaimed, “What’s with the CGI fight scenes?! Swayze didn’t need it.” Movies like John Wick are being made with minimal computer effects, earning them extra praise for the expertly developed fight scenes. While he’s right that Patrick Swayze’s Road House didn’t use CGI, modern fight scenes are far more advanced and require more detail.

Scott Adkins adds that CGI can be helpful in enhancing fight scenes, citing 2006’s The Rebel as an example. It will come down to the keen eyes of viewers to dictate whether that CGI takes them out of the experience, and many may not even realize it at specific points. Enough effort was put into making the Road House fights authentic so that the CGI could be forgiven.

Sources: GQ, Decider