Conor McGregor Notorious review: This tight, 90-minute documentary focuses on the rise to fame of perhaps one of the greatest mixed martial arts stars of his generation.
Conor McGregor Notorious review by Paul Heath.
Conor McGregor Notorious review
Released in a year when its subject matter took part in perhaps the greatest, and indeed most controversial, boxing event of the decade, Conor McGregor: Notorious is a feature-length documentary arriving briefly in cinemas before hitting the home formats before the big Christmas rush.
This warts-and-all doc. with unprecedented access to the MMA (mixed martial arts) star Conor McGregor, kicks off in the glamorous location of Las Vegas in the not too distant past, McGregor seen leaving a huge mansion, the glowing lights of the strip in the background, apparently on his way to an extremely important fight. It’s not too long though until we flip back in time five years or so, to witness a very different man in a beat-up gym in Dublin, Ireland, and this is where we get to see some of the interesting stuff.
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McGregor is seen living in his mother’s house, stripped of the future glamour and admiration that was to come his way – beardless and broke, bill mounting up, but full of hunger with his eye firmly on the prize. The film moves very quickly through this brief time, and it’s not too long before McGregor is signed up to the world’s biggest professional outfit, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). The rest of the film charts his continuous rise to the top of his game, his career hurtling towards this year’s massive, heavily publicised, bout against one of the greatest boxers of his generation, Floyd Mayweather.
Conor McGregor Notorious review
Running at a tight 90 minutes, the film does attempt to cram a lot in. The highs and lows are featured, and while it’s all very engrossing to watch, it would have been nice to see more of the earlier fights and McGregor’s early development in the ring which made him the accomplished fighter that he is today. That said, there’s enough to keep fans of the fighter and the world in which he inhabits interested throughout, and it’s great to get a rare glimpse inside of his usually guarded world. For those not ofay with McGregor and his achievements, there’s still enough to warrant a watch as this is certainly a step above your usual run-of-the-mill sports documentary, even though it moves at lightning pace with not as much time as we’d like spent on the more personal aspects of his rags to riches ‘Rocky’ story.
Conor McGregor: Notorious is an absolute must for fans, and while it is possibly at its best on the small screen, it is worth a visit to local multiplexes for die-hards during its limited cinema run.
Conor McGregor Notorious review by Paul Heath, November 2017.
Conor McGregor: Notorious is in cinemas now and on DVD and Digital Download from 20 November.
