In 'Road House' remake, Jake Gyllenhaal fights a manic Conor McGregor

When "Road House" came out in 1989, the reviews were overwhelmingly negative. The action thriller with Patrick Swayze in the lead role garnered several nominations for Hollywood's awful-films prize, the "Golden Raspberries," including the category of worst film. But even a guru film reviewer like Roger Ebert conceded at the time that the film was very entertaining.

In the meantime, "Road House" enjoys cult status. Now, director Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity") has filmed the story of the bouncer Dalton anew, this time with Jake Gyllenhaal. The flick unspools on Thursday on Prime Video.

Doing a remake of a cult film is risky business. Gyllenhaal, in an interview with dpa in London, says he has "absolute respect" for the now 35-year-old original and for Swayze, who died almost 15 years ago. He said it was Liman's idea for a remake.

"We made this movie because an old friend of mine, Doug Lyman, who I've been friends with for over 15 years, we've been trying to find a project and something that had action and humour. And when he came to me with this, something in my instinct said: 'This is crazy. Let's do this.'"

The fact that "Road House" is not coming to the cinemas but rather directly via the streaming provider Prime Video has caused an uproar. Legendary producer Joel Silver, responsible both for the original with Swayze and now the remake, clashed mightily with the studio bosses. Silver is still listed as producer, but the dispute escalated so heatedly that his involvement in future projects has been cancelled.

Director Liman, in an open letter, made it clear that he regarded the film as "clearly made for the big screen". He said he had signed on with the MGM studios for a cinema film. But with the takeover of the one-time film giant by Amazon, "Road House" suddenly became a streaming project. "Contrary to its public statements, Amazon has no interest in supporting cinemas," Liman charged.

His pal Gyllenhaal is doing what he can to calm the waters. "I love theatrical, and that experience is something that I cherish and value and I think is essential," he told dpa. "I'd love for people to see it in that form, but I also am really happy that they're able to see it on streaming." After his original boycott announcement, Liman did turn up to the film premiere at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, where he received much applause for "Road House".

The plot is quickly told and differs only slightly from the 1989 original: Frankie (Jessica Williams) is the owner of a rustic mix of bar and roadhouse in Florida's Key West. Because the Road House is repeatedly plagued by violent hooligans, she hires Dalton (Gyllenhaal), a former middleweight fighter, as a bouncer. Dalton had once fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and quickly brings order to the Road House. But Frankie didn't tell him the complete story.

There is absolutely no doubting Gyllenhaal's acting abilities. In "Road House" the 43-year-old also shows what he is physically capable of. As in the boxing drama "Southpaw," the already very fit actor trained hard to achieve an impressive physique. He is convincing as a tough fighter with a soft heart and it was clear he enjoyed playing a classic action hero. And, Gyllenhaal bears comparison with Swayze, who died in 2009 and with whom he starred in 2001's "Donnie Darko".

His most prominent opponent in "Road House" is a genuine UFC fighter, Conor McGregor, playing the psychopathic thug Knox. His first film role was well suited this notoriously riotous Irishman, who was clearly having fun and also appeared (almost) naked.

In some way it looked like McGregor was probably playing himself. "He is so hugely charismatic," says Gyllenhaal, who has some violent scenes with McGregor. "As soon as he enters, [the movie] skyrockets, and that is a testament to him."

Billy Magnussen plays the stressed-out gangster boss Ben Brandt, Daniela Melchior the nurse Ellie. It's clear that there's a spark between Ellie and Dalton. There's no denying that the sometimes absurd plot of "Road House" is largely predictable and full of genre clichés. But the fact that the characters and relationships remain superficial doesn't really matter. The somewhat unsatisfactory ending leaves the door open for a possible sequel.

Despite its weaknesses, "Road House" is reasonably entertaining and amusing, something that it has in common with the original. UFC fans in particular should be greatly entertained. You can tell that the action film was made for the big screen. The beautiful landscapes - the Dominican Republic doubles for the Florida Keys - create a holiday feeling. In March, which may still be too chilly in the northern climes, "Road House" is therefore also perfect for a streaming evening on the couch.