In 1989, Patrick Swayze introduced audiences to Dalton, the world’s best cooler, in Road House. The story of an elite bouncer tasked with fixing up a rowdy Missouri bar became a signature action film of the 1980s. In 2024, Jake Gyllenhaal steps into Swayze’s shoes for Amazon Prime Video’s Road House, Doug Liman’s reimagined version of the 1989 film. Instead of Missouri, Dalton heads to the Florida Keys to save a roadhouse from a local crime lord.
Road House debuted to a thunderous reception at SXSW and will likely be a hit on streaming. If you liked the new Road House, ride the action wave and watch these three movies, including another 1980s film with Swayze, a thriller set at sea, and a terrific legacy sequel.
Red Dawn (1984)
Before fighting unruly bar patrons in Road House, Swayze battled communism in Red Dawn. In an alternate 1980s, the Soviet Union teams with Cuba and Nicaragua to invade the United States and ignite World War III. The Soviet invasion overwhelms the small town of Calumet, Colorado, and before long, the communists are in charge.
What the Soviets didn’t prepare for are Jed (Swayze) and Matt Eckert (Charlie Sheen), two brothers who escape to the forest with a small group of teenagers. After their father (Harry Dean Stanton) dies, Jed and Matt launch guerrilla attacks on the Soviet soldiers. As word spreads of their success, the teens call themselves the “Wolverines,” providing hope for the nation. Red Dawn is a solid B-movie representing a snapshot of the 1980s with the Cold War themes and Reagan era fashion. It’s also fun to watch certain cast members – Swayze, Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey – in early roles before they became stars.
Stream Red Dawn on Max.
Under Siege (1992)
If you thought Road House had fun yet ridiculous action sequences and an over-the-top villain, I raise you Under Siege, Andrew Davis’ version of Die Hard on a ship. Before he went off the deep end, Steven Seagal was one of the top action heroes from the early 1990s. His best role came in Under Siege as Chief Petty Officer Casey Ryback, a former Marine who now works as a cook on the USS Missouri. When the Navy hires a band to perform for the ship’s captain, William Strannix (Tommy Lee Jones), the band leader and his group of terrorists, including Commander Krill (Gary Busey), hijack the ship.
Strannix, a former government operative, wants to steal the nuclear missiles as revenge for the CIA’s role in a failed assassination attempt against him. Everything goes according to plan until Ryback gets loose and wreaks havoc on the terrorists. From his cheesy one-liners to his dominant fighting ability, Seagal excels as Under Siege’s John McClane. However, this film belongs to Jones, whose eccentric villain steals the show. The success of Under Siege also allowed Davis to make The Fugitive, a terrific 1990s thriller that led to Jones winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Rent Under Siege on Apple, Prime Video, Google, or YouTube.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Road House is a solid reimagining of Swayze’s film. It channels the charisma of the 1989 film while giving it some new storylines to stay fresh. Top Gun: Maverick is the best example of a modern film playing off the nostalgia from the original. Three decades after the events of Top Gun, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) works as a test pilot who continues to push his limits in the sky. However, an old rival and friend, Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer), assigns Maverick to teach a new crop of pilots at Top Gun.
One of these pilots is Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s deceased wingman, Goose (Anthony Edwards). Putting his issues aside, Maverick has to prepare these young men and women for a top-secret mission that will put everything Maverick loves at risk. From the spectacular stunts and gorgeous cinematography to the thrilling action and edge-of-your-sea suspense, Top Gun: Maverick laid the blueprint for how to make a nostalgia-fueled sequel.
Stream Top Gun: Maverick on Paramount+ or Prime Video.
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