The Smashing Machine (2025)
Directed by: Benny Safdie
Premise: Based on true events. Mixed martial arts competitor Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson) rises to the top of the sport in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
What Works: The Smashing Machine is a period piece and it authentically recreates its era. The film is shot with a mostly realistic approach but also uses analog elements, occasionally recreating the look of VHS tapes. The handheld cinematography assists the film, putting us behind the scenes of MMA events and capturing the brutality of the fights. The most interesting quality of The Smashing Machine is the tension in Mark Kerr’s character. In the ring he was an indomitable force who won bouts through sheer muscle power but in person he was quite soft spoken and compassionate. Those qualities are captured in Dwayne Johnson’s performance as Kerr. It’s an ideal match of a character with an actor and after years of coasting on his charisma and public persona it is gratifying to see Johnson genuinely acting. Emily Blunt plays Kerr’s girlfriend Dawn Staples and although the story does not give Blunt much to do, we get a sense of Staples’ struggle to share a life with someone who keeps her on the outside. Mark Kerr’s other interesting relationship is with fellow fighter Mark Coleman, played by Ryan Bader. The Kerr-Bader friendship makes an interesting counterpoint to the romantic relationship. Kerr is open and honest with Bader in ways he can’t be with his girlfriend.
What Doesn’t: The Smashing Machine is a character study of Mark Kerr and to a lesser extent his girlfriend Dawn Staples. The purpose of a character study is to get a deep understanding of this person and their psychology but The Smashing Machine stays on the surface. We learn everything this movie has to say about Kerr and Staples in the first twenty minutes. From there the picture just spins its wheels. The narrative isn’t working toward anything. The filmmakers dramatize some of the requisite celebrity biography topics, namely coping with failure and substance abuse, but these moments are run through without much conflict. The regard for Kerr is almost hagiographic. Aside from a stint with drug abuse that omits any sign of struggle, Kerr has hardly any flaws. Kerr and Staples have a difficult relationship but it’s not clear why they are a couple. There’s nothing in their characters that links these people together.
Bottom Line: The Smashing Machine has a lot in it that is admirable especially the cinematic craftsmanship and the performances. It’s also frustratingly emotionally muted. The Smashing Machine ought to be more moving and involving that this.
Episode: #1072 (November 2, 2025)