Conor McGregor is ridiculous in Road House; he’s not bad, nor is he good — he’s just nuts, and it’s the kind of keyed-up, nutty performance that’d make him a phenomenal foe for a certain familia.
McGregor is essentially the Road House remake’s Jimmy Reno. However, while the OG baddie used to “f**k guys like Dalton in prison”, Knox’s thirst for pain and power places him more between Feyd-Rautha and the Joker, swaggering into every scene like a hurricane-force gale with a mad-eyed expression stretched across his face.
His bare-cheeked introduction, shouting “Arrivederci!” in his Irish twang as he prowls naked through the street before setting a village market alight — why? Because “once Knox is on the job, it’s over baby!” — sets the tone perfectly for his performance.
Every line that comes out of his mouth is absurdly delivered, even his small mutterings of “my man, my man, god bless, god bless”, and that’s before we really see him in action, screaming “Dalton!” in the bar with a golf club before pouncing on him like a hungry jungle cat.
Spoilers for Road House to follow…
Put Conor McGregor in the Fast and Furious franchise
His final moment comes in a post-credits scene: he struts out of the hospital, dazed and bloodied, leaving a trail of bruises and blood in his wake. It isn’t a distant parallel to the opening moments of Furious 7, when Jason Statham barges out of his brother’s hospital after rendering it near-post-apocalyptic from his rampage.
As it evoked that memory, I had a thought: what if Conor McGregor faced off against Dom Toretto and the Fast and Furious family?
His work in Road House has already divided people, but here’s the thing (and this is not a slight on the Fast saga): a potential role in a Fast and Furious movie wouldn’t call for good acting — he’d just need to tap into that same batsh*t energy for a memorable scene or two.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Another point: he loves cars, another qualifying factor. In Road House, we see him barreling down the road at more than 100mph in a Ferrari (a little nod to his real-life speeding offences), and the star’s personal collection is valued at around $3 million, with Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Lamborghinis, and a McLaren.
He doesn’t have the acting power to be a lead villain (yet, likely ever); even in Road House, he’s just a psychotic henchman who comes to the fore as a last resort, rather than the true antagonist of the piece. But just like Spectre had Dave Bautista (a far higher caliber of performer) as Mr Hinx, why couldn’t Fast 11 have McGregor as a one-and-done foe who puts a beating on one of the crew?
Take a look at McGregor’s best one-liners over the years, and they echo the silly, macho vibe of the Fast franchise: “If one of us goes to war, we all go to war”, “Timing beats speed. Precision beats power”, “He should’ve killed me when he had the chance”, “There’s two things I really like to do… and that’s whoop ass and look good.”
Furious 7 also featured a cameo from fellow UFC fighter Ronda Rousey, with laughable line deliveries teeing up a superb brawl with Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty. In this sort of capacity, McGregor could bring the house down; just imagine him facing off with Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs in the finale, recruited by Jason Momoa’s Dante as the cackling, live-wire Robin to his Batman. We’d probably see him get Rock-Bottomed, which would be worth the price of admission alone.
While it’s hard to place McGregor’s singular brand of maniacal charisma in any other movie, Fast and Furious feels like the right cage to test his screen power next. If they do sign him, just remember: it’s a celebration — the Fast family better have their red panties at the ready.
Road House is streaming on Prime Video now. You can also find out more about the movie’s soundtrack and where it was filmed.
