Dwayne Johnson bares his soul in the stirring showstopper ‘The Smashing Machine’

As the king of blockbuster filmmaker Dwayne Johnson is an actor who knows how to draw a crowd and who shines in the limelight, but now he seeks his most personal challenge yet as he returns to the ring for the showstopping dramatic spectacle that is A24’s The Smashing Machine, and under the direction of Benny Safdie, he’s about to bare his soul completely as he steps into the life of the both famed and infamous MMA legend Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine.

Watch the devastatingly soulful new trailer for The Smashing Machine below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

The Smashing Machine chronicles the life and career of mixed-martial arts and UFC champion Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson).

Ever since we first heard that Dwayne Johnson would be taking on the role of Mark Kerr in a live-action adaptation of the famed HBO sports documentary of the same name, The Smashing Machine back in 2023 we knew we’d be in for something special. Add in the presence of Emily blunt as Kerr’s wife Dawn Staples, the direction of Benny Safdie and the production of A24 and we knew we’d be delivered something incredible. And that first trailer confirmed it.

Now following a building buzz at a series of the world’s best film festivals, including a 15 minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, we’ve been treated to a brand new trailer. And it makes for a devastating watch. It showcases Dwayne Johnson utterly confirmed into the hulking beast of Mark Kerr, a warrior of immense strength and power, who out of the ring is plagued by doubt and soft-spoken nature, and whose inner demons he attempts to beat out in the room. This is the rock digging deep into the soul of a complicated, but incredible human being, and Benny Safdie is teasing a film that will tear audiences up with its emotion and depth.

Previous co-stars Johnson and Emily Blunt, who takes on the role of Dawn Staples, Kerr’s wife, bring an incredibly deep, but fraught chemistry as this couple in what is very much a love/hate relationship. And the level of drama, applied to the high stakes world of the early days of mixed martial arts is sure to lead to drama that will keep audiences hooked in the whole way.

With Johnson’s awe-inspiring performance, Awards buzz is starting to build for The Smashing Machine, and audiences will be in for something very special when it arrives in cinemas on October 3.

Image: A24 Films