Reel Rundown: In ‘Road House’ remake, Conor McGregor’s performance as the villain shows a promising career

In the never-ending parade of hero-versus-villain stories that hit screens big and small, it’s the villains that often make the difference.

Think of what the original “Die Hard” would have been without Alan Rickman. Think of “The Matrix” films without Hugo Weaving. Think of “The Dark Knight” without Heath Ledger.

Conor McGregor doesn’t quite deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as those actors. Not yet, anyway. But based on the way that he energizes director Doug Liman’s Amazon Prime remake of Rowdy Herrington’s 1989 action-thriller “Road House,” he shows ample potential.

Liman’s film isn’t a remake as much as it is a reimagining of a movie that over the years has become a cult favorite (it earned five Golden Raspberry nominations upon its release, though it won none). The script that Liman follows shifts the action from backwoods Missouri to the Florida Keys (though it was shot in the Dominican Republic).

Jake Gyllenhaal takes over from the role originated by the late Patrick Swayze. He plays Dalton, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship title-holder who deserted the ring after a tragic incident. At loose ends, he takes a job as the head bouncer at a beach bar conveniently called – what else? – the Road House.

What the bar owner Frankie (Jessica Williams) doesn’t tell him is that the establishment is being targeted by a local mobster named Ben Brandt (played by Billy Magnusson), who envisions building a resort on the site. That’s why a band of bikers comes by regularly to smash a few tables – and heads as well.

A calm sort, until he gets angry, Dalton easily tames the bikers, breaking a number of bones in the process. It’s a sign of his humanity that he then drives them to the hospital, where he meets a doctor named Ellie (Daniela Melchoir), who becomes the film’s obligatory love interest.

But Brandt won’t be as easily dissuaded, which is how we meet his next weapon, the hurricane named Knox (McGregor). As beefily built as Gyllenhaal is abdominally sculpted, McGregor’s Knox enters with a grin as big as a cigarette boat. And Liman’s movie then takes off.

Not that it’s a particularly good movie. In fact, fans of the original will no doubt debate whether this “Road House” is even as good as the former – as if one violent flavor of R-rated cheese is preferable to the next.

One thing’s for certain, though. This is Conor McGregor’s first appearance in a feature film, and he has all the markings of a future star.