Road House Remake Missed The Perfect Moment To Recreate The 45-Year-Old Original’s Most Ridiculous Fight Scene

Road House (2024) is a remake of the 1989 film of the same name, and while it is a faithful yet original recreation of its predecessor, the newer movie should have included a nod to the original’s most shocking (and ridiculous) moment. The 2024 action film, directed by Doug Liman and written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry, chronicles an ex-UFC fighter – Jake Gyllenhaal’s Elwood Dalton – accepting a job at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys, where violence is the norm. Of course, things aren’t as they seem, and Dalton faces several adversaries throughout the movie.

In addition to Gyllenhaal as Dalton (who is the 2024 film’s equivalent of Patrick Swayze’s character in the 1980s feature), the cast of Road House includes Daniela Melchior as Ellie, Conor McGregor as Knox, Billy Magnussen as Ben Brandt, and Jessica Williams as Frankie. Like Gyllenhaal’s Dalton, many of the characters featured in the Amazon movie serve as counterparts to the ones in Road House (1989). The second film also contains several parallels to the original, except for a recreation of one iconic scene between Swayze’s Dalton and Marshall Teague’s Jimmy Reno during the final fight between Gyllenhaal’s Dalton and McGregor’s Knox.

Road House 2024’s Throat Punch Scene Doesn’t Repeat Patrick Swayze Ripping Out Someone’s Throat

Whereas the 1989 version of the action movie features a (very memorable) scene of Swayze’s Dalton ripping out Teague’s Reno’s throat during the final fight scene, Gyllenhaal’s character never repeats this horrific maneuver while facing off against McGregor’s Knox. Instead, at the end of Road House (2024), Dalton repeatedly stabs Knox with a wooden stake, which is how he wins. Plus, the Road House post-credits scene reveals that Knox survived the attack, while Reno didn’t in the original film.

However, one moment in the Amazon Prime Video movie somewhat references the throat-ripping scene from its predecessor. After Vince and Sam set fire to Stephen and Charlie’s bookstore in Road House (2024), Dalton is outraged and tracks Vince down. Dalton punches Vince in the throat and pushes him into the water, effectively killing one of the film’s many antagonists. The scene is not nearly as brutal or ridiculous as the throat-ripping moment in the original, which may have disappointed some viewers.

Road House 2024’s Fight Scenes Confirm The Remake Isn’t Nearly As Ridiculous As The Original Movie

Even though one could argue that action sequences in general have gotten better over the years, the fight scenes in Road House (2024) are not nearly as intense or crazy as the ones in Road House (1989). The newer ones are still entertaining and brutal, but none are as iconic as the throat-ripping scene. Ultimately, the original Road House contained absurd and unbelievable fight scenes, and the Amazon movie should have taken the opportunity to parallel the 1989 film’s most unforgettable moment.