Jake Gyllenhaal's action-packed remake of 'Road House' hopes to become a new classic

NEW YORK -- The movie "Road House" stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an ex-UFC fighter-turned-bouncer trying to escape his dark past.

He gets hired to clean up a rowdy bar, a roadhouse, only to discover paradise is not all it seems. Does the plot sound familiar? It should, it's a remake of the 1989 film of the same name.

The first film became a cult classic, but will the remake? It's got potential. It is current, action-packed, and just fun to watch.

Eyewitness News Entertainment Reporter Joelle Garguilo caught up with its star, Jake Gyllenhaal, for a conversation.

Bare-knuckle brawls and adrenaline-fueled action are all part of "Road House." The '80s cult classic is reimagined with Gyllenhaal stepping into Patrick Swayze's shoes alongside actual UFC fighter Conor McGregor.

"Jake, there's this scene with you and Conor McGregor. It's the first time we see you guys on film together, you're eye-to-eye, and we know a fight scene is about to break out. I've been dying to ask you, what on Earth was going through your mind in that moment?" Garguilo asked.

"I remember thinking in my mind as I walked up to him in the shot, thinking, you know what, I've been doing this for a while, I have my own experience in this space. He's in a new space. So I have to at least, I have to play that I can hold that space," Gyllenhaal said. "But then I thought, oh my gosh, we did that take maybe probably around 30 times. And every time I was like, for sure. That's the end, that's the end of my nose. But, I know he was great and super helpful. And actually in the end, it was tons of fun."

He was not only familiar with the original but also had a close connection to its star.

"I'm such a huge Patrick Swayze fan. I kept thinking what an honor it must have been to play such an iconic role of his and I know you had a personal relationship with him because of 'Donnie Darko.' But I'm just curious, you know, what it means to you?" Garguilo asked.

"Patrick was so lovely to me, we worked together on 'Donnie Darko,' and Patrick and his wife, Lisa, were always so kind to me, from the very beginning, even his battle with cancer with that he had so much grace," Gyllenhaal said. "That grace was shown even in his last days, and how hard he worked, how much he loved his work, and how much joy he brought to the people around him, you know that is all true. And to me, his energy is in this performance of mine. And throughout this movie, we would not be here today or even made this movie without him. And I'm just deeply grateful to him."

And there are some Easter eggs dedicated to him in the film.

"There are, I have tattoos, the character has tattoos in honor of Patrick, that I will have to have people stop and freeze-frame to find if they're interested," he said.

"In my family, movie lines are everything like when I'm watching a movie, I'm constantly writing them," Garguilo said. "There's some great ones in here."

"So you like to fight. You ever win?" Gyllenhaal said. "No one ever wins a fight."

"I'm just curious for you. Are there movie lines that you quote whether it's with your family or your friends like movie lines that that mean a little more to you?" Garguilo asked.

"There are a lot of lines from 'Jerry Maguire' that I really love. When he's like, 'Help me, help you, help me, help you.' And then when he says stuff like, 'You think we're fighting and I think we're finally talking.' Those all, there are so many lines from 'Jerry Maguire' that I love. I love that movie," Gyllenhaal said.

Buckle up and get ready to take another ride to "Road House." The film hits Prime Video on Wednesday.

As far as what's next for Gyllenhaal, he's headed to Broadway, where he will be starring alongside Denzel Washington in "Othello."