Prime Video released the trailer to Road House, the “adrenaline-fueled reimagining” of the 1989 Patrick Swayze cult classic.
In the film premiering March 21, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Elwood Dalton, a down on his luck former MMA fighter who takes a job trying to keep the peace as a bouncer at a rowdy Florida Keys roadhouse.
As in the Swayze original, it’s not as easy as punching a clock — or the occasional rummy: A developer has his eyes on the bar and is willing to do anything to shut it down.
In the trailer, “anything” comes in the form of a hired gunman, played by MMA icon Conor Mcgregor. “Once Knox is on the job, it’s over, baby,” he says to his boss, speaking in the third person.
Knox calls out Dalton, and the two ripped fighters are soon seen tangling mano a mano.
On Wednesday, the movie’s director Doug Liman wrote in Deadline that he felt betrayed by the streaming service for not releasing Road House in theaters, so he’s boycotting its SXSW opening night premiere.
“The movie is fantastic, maybe my best, and I’m sure it will bring the house down … ” Liman says. “But I will not be there.”
He explains, “I signed up to make a theatrical motion picture for MGM. Amazon bought MGM. Amazon said make a great film and we will see what happens. I made a great film … Road House tested higher than my biggest box office hit, Mr. and Mrs Smith [and] Bourne Identity, which spawned four sequels.”
Despite a “career-defining” performance from Gyllenhaal that would have been “recognized come awards season,” Liman says Amazon is only streaming it.
“We tried everything to convince them to put Road House in theaters … they said no,” Liman insists.
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