Sports biopics tend to run on autopilot. An athlete rises to fame through grit and determination, takes their first big loss, spirals into despair, nearly walks away from it all until their mentor swoops in with the obligatory pep talk, setting up the inevitable comeback victory. It’s a tried-and-true, crowd-pleasing formula. But Benny Safdie, making his solo directorial debut, ditches that playbook in his portrait of Mark Kerr, “The Smashing Machine.” Instead, he crafts something closer to an anti-biopic. The script may be thin, but the film compensates with its unvarnished, documentary-like approach and a career-best performance from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
We follow Mark Kerr (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), a wrestler making his mixed martial arts debut at the PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan in 1997. He is at the peak of his career as he is riding a high wave of a winning streak. However, despite his success, Kerr is struggling with opioid addiction and has a high-maintenance girlfriend, Dawn (Emily Blunt). And now that he is in the big league’s he now must face the possibility of losing a fight in a fighting league where rules are more so guidelines. A challenge that he has never faced before.
Benny Safdie’s solo directorial debut is marked by a striking confidence. Leaning into a documentary style, he frames Mark Kerr’s life with a raw, almost voyeuristic eye. Each frame positions us as onlookers, sometimes outside the ring, sometimes just beyond the walls of his private life but never fully invited in as we are almost spying on him. The fights play out with the immediacy of a live broadcast, while the breakdowns feel captured from a discreet, paparazzi-like distance. This approach creates an odd emotional tension: intimate yet detached, as though we’re witnessing something we shouldn’t. That distance may keep us from fully knowing Kerr, but the strength of the performances, coupled with Safdie’s jagged blend of rock and jazz on the score, turns the film into a strangely hypnotic experience.h.
For years, I have always thought that Dwyane Johnson has the juice to deliver a truly great performance. He has shown hints of his range in Moana, Jumanji, Get Smart and in several other projects. However, due to either fear or typecasting, Johnson has been placed into this box where he has been playing a version of himself over the past decade. A macho-man action star that shows little range other than muscle. I have been wanting to see him break free of this typecasting for a while now, especially given that his fellow wrestling stars, Dave Bautista and John Cena, have broken out of their wrestling personas. And finally I feel like Johnson has finally gotten a role he can really sink his teeth into.
Despite being buried under make-up I was surprised how seamlessly Dwyane Johnson disappeared into becoming Mark Kerr. From the opening moments Johnson immediately disarms you with his softspoken, almost child-like nature. But once the bell rings, he shifts into a brutal force of nature, channeling his WWE past into something raw and unsettling. It’s the role he’s been waiting for. A portrait of a man wrestling not just opponents, but his own fragility, masculinity, and addiction. Awards attention may or may not follow, but what’s undeniable is that Johnson finally proves he can act.
The Smashing Machine left me genuinely surprised. The script may be undercooked and occasionally tangled, keeping us at arm’s length from its characters, but the film still lands as a compelling watch. Safdie establishes himself as a director with a clear, confident vision, and Johnson finally breaks free of his macho-man mold to deliver something startlingly genuine. MMA and wrestling fans will find plenty to savor here, but even for those outside that world, it remains a gripping and fascinating experience.
My Rating: B
Leave a Reply