The Road House remake not only does a commendable job at reimagining the original cult classic but also proves to be the perfect replacement for a hit Amazon show that boasts a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score. Directed by Doug Liman, Amazon’s Road House remake stays true to the essence of the original movie’s storyline and even pays homage to Patrick Swayze’s legacy in more ways than one. However, it also takes some creative liberties by bringing several changes to the original movie’s storyline, which arguably makes it more appealing to modern audiences.
Which one of the two Road House films is better can be a complex debate because both films have their merits. But, in many ways, the Road House remake is a worthy successor to the original movie, which is hard to achieve given how so many remakes fail to leave their mark. A closer look at Road House‘s storyline and ending also surprisingly reveals how it shares many narrative parallels with a popular Amazon show.
In both Amazon’s Road House and Reacher, a mysterious stranger shows up in a small town, beats the bad guys, helps the locals deal with powerful people, and quietly leaves towards the end without taking much with him. Road House‘s Dalton and Reacher‘s Jack Reacher also have romantic interests in the early arcs of their stories. However, both characters ultimately leave their love interests behind instead of attempting to settle down with them. Road House and Reacher also present their protagonists as nearly invincible forces who have dark pasts but channel their troubled histories in a morally right direction.
The original 1989 Road House does not embrace the trope and features an optimistic conclusion where all ends well for Dalton. Owing to this, it is interesting that the Road House remake adopts the “mysterious stranger” trope and gives Dalton a bittersweet ending where he chooses to leave town instead of settling down. While many factors may have contributed to this change in Dalton’s story’s ending, Reacher‘s success on Amazon may have partially influenced the film’s creative direction. Reacher and Road House‘s success also proves that Amazon has cracked the code for creating successful action adaptations with fresh perspectives.
Road House and Reacher‘s success underscores that the “mysterious stranger” trope resonates with audiences. It proves that viewers enjoy watching lone-wolf heroes like Jack Reacher and Elwood Dalton enter small towns and disrupt their status quo and power dynamics. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons such characters appeal to audiences is that they are the closest to superheroes human characters can be. The superhero genre may have saturated, but enigmatic vigilantes like Batman have always captured the imagination of audiences.
Alan Ritchson’s Reacher and Jake Gyllanhaal’s Dalton do not don capes and masks but often try to shroud their identity. Reacher does it to avoid trouble and to be able to live like a hobo for the rest of his life. Dalton, on the other hand, does not like being identified because of his tragic MMA history. With their drifter lifestyles and reluctance to reveal their true dark selves, the two characters embody the freedom, self-reliance, and autonomy that can rarely exist in the real world. Owing to this, watching their fictional endeavors gives viewers the perfect form of escapism.
Like the original Lee Child novels, Amazon’s Reacher embraces the “mysterious stranger” trope in every season. This could be the perfect blueprint for future Road House movies. Just like every Reacher season unfolds a new adventure in a new city for Jack Reacher, Road House‘s sequels can keep viewers hooked by walking through Dalton’s journeys from town to town in each new installment, portraying how he uses his expertise to save one small business after another from powerful goons. Since Reacher also runs into old enemies and allies time and again, Road House‘s Dalton could encounter Knox in a future installment.