Road House 2024 Corrects The 1989 Original Movie’s Odd Ending Mistake

Warning: Major spoilers for Road House 2024 below!

Amazon’s remake of Road House corrects an issue with the 1989 original’s finale. The original Road House was produced by action producer extraordinaire Joel Silver, who was coming off a run of hits like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. The Patrick Swayze-fronted action pic was a change of pace since it largely eschewed gunfights or car chases in favor of brutal barfights. Swayze’s Dalton was also a unique action hero, since the character liked to avoid fighting at all costs – even though he’s supernaturally gifted at them.

Despite mixed reviews, the film was a hit and has become a cult favorite for its quotable dialogue, great cast and fun action sequences. Amazon’s Road House remake cast Jake Gyllenhaal as the new Dalton and retains the same basic structure as the original, though it has cleaned up some of the spicier elements. Road House 2024’s fight scenes can be just as visceral, with Gyllenhaal’s Dalton getting two standout sequences against Conor McGregor’s Knox.

Road House 1989 Suffered From An Anticlimatic Final Showdown

Patrick Swayze’s Dalton versus Ben Gazzara’s Wesley was not a fair fight

Road House 1989 is filled to the brim with great fights, including the infamous throat rip moment when Dalton faces off with Marshall Teague’s Jimmy Reno. That particular bout is the movie’s highlight, with Reno being the henchman for slimy local businessman Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara). Throughout the story, Wesley pushes Dalton to breaking point until the zen bouncer finally confronts him in Road House’s bloody ending.

Dalton then kills most of Wesley’s men but resists the temptation to rip out Wesley’s throat after defeating him. The issue with this finale is that, simply put, Wesley never feels like a real threat to Dalton. Swayze was in peak physical condition when he shot Road House, and throughout the story takes on fighters way bigger and meaner than Gazzara’s Wesley. The veteran actor is fantastic in the villain role and makes Wesley enjoyably reprehensive, but it stretches credibility to put him up against Swayze’s Dalton.

The film has Wesley wounding Dalton just before their battle and quickly following through with some spear attacks, but their confrontation lacks any genuine tension. Road House closes on the movie’s lamest brawl, and the film needed to give Dalton a more fitting opponent than Wesley. It would have made more sense for the character to fight Reno instead.

Road House 2024 Fixes The Original’s Mistake By Giving Dalton A Worthy Opponent

Dalton vs Conor McGregor’s Knox is the movie’s standout setpiece

One of the big casting announcements around Amazon’s reboot was that Conor McGregor would be starring as the main villain. Road House cast real-life UFC legend Conor McGregor as Knox, a ruthless henchman dispatched to the Florida Keys to get rid of Gyllenhaal’s Dalton. Reviews are split on McGregor’s hammy turn, either finding him to be a lot of fun or distractingly bad.

Regardless, Knox is an imposing physical threat and even beats Dalton during their first brawl. Road House 2024’s final showdown corrects the mistake made by its predecessor, with Dalton facing off against Knox in a fight that is evenly matched. It isn’t a given that Gyllenhaal’s bouncer will prevail, and he receives some grueling punishment before bringing Knox down. Complaints about the lackluster finale of the original must have made their way to returning producer Silver and director Doug Liman since their reimagining closes on the best brawl instead.

Road House 2024 Wisely Stages The Showdown In The Roadhouse

The 2024 remake corrects another odd mistake from the Patrick Swayze version

Road House 2024 closes on a high following the Dalton/Knox fight, which fittingly takes place in the titular bar. Like the original, the story is about a property battle over the roadhouse itself, so there is no better location to end it. Even so, the Swayze film takes the finale to Wesley’s estate, where Dalton battles some henchmen before his confrontation with the big man. Since Road House 1989 revolves around the roadhouse (dubbed The Double Deuce), it was an odd choice to move the action elsewhere for the finale.

Road House 2024 makes the battle over the bar extremely literal, with Dalton having to earn his victory. The remake might improve on certain elements of the original, but the latter is still the better movie. It’s funnier and more colorful, though to director Liman’s credit, he managed to update a 1980s action favorite while putting his own spin on it.