‘The Smashing Machine’ – Review
The appearance of the A24 title card is always enough to command attention, but when it’s paired with the heightened story of famed MMA fighter Mark Kerr, the distinctive touch of filmmaker Benny Safdie, and the star power of Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, you know you’re in for something special. The Smashing Machine is a burning, visceral expression of a fighter’s existence, a brutal portrait of a man battling both in the ring and within his own soul.
The Smashing Machine chronicles the life and career of mixed-martial arts and UFC champion Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson).
This is not your typical fight movie. Directed by Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine carves into the story of MMA pioneer Mark Kerr with raw precision, stripped of spectacle and swagger. It’s muscle without the flex, pain without the crowd’s roar. And for the first time, Dwayne Johnson isn’t just playing a hero — he’s plummeting into a world of bruises, addiction, regret, and a chaotic, self-destructive love.
Let it be said: Johnson abandons all pretence of his larger-than-life Hollywood persona to deliver a performance of startling vulnerability. He disappears into Kerr — mind, body, and soul. Gone is “The Rock.” Through transformative prosthetic work, physical immersion, and a near-method commitment to character, Johnson becomes unrecognisable. Every scar, every tremor, every desperate breath feels real. His Kerr is not just a champion; he’s a man behind The Smashing Machine — obsessive, broken, and consumed by the grind. Johnson lays himself bare, stripped of armour, and the result is a performance unlike anything he’s done before; raw, fearless, and utterly captivating.
Opposite him, Emily Blunt gives an equally ferocious turn as Kerr’s long-time partner Dawn Staples. Blunt dives headfirst into the chaos, embodying a woman torn between love, loyalty, and destruction. She’s wild, magnetic, and heartbreakingly human — both enabler and victim to Kerr’s spiralling insecurities. The chemistry between Blunt and Johnson burns with volatility; together, they create a love story that feels like Sid & Nancy reimagined for the MMA world — a world where violence, money, and drugs collide in a relentless storm of emotion. Blunt is nothing short of astonishing here — a live wire performance that could (and should) make her an early Oscar frontrunner.
In bringing The Smashing Machine to life, Benny Safdie channels the grit of the original HBO documentary and then fills in the blanks with cinematic fury. He captures the humble, brutal, and often savage origins of early mixed martial arts and the birth of the UFC with an unflinching eye. Fights are often seen from outside the cage, through ropes or glass, fractured and claustrophobic. Safdie isn’t interested in victory laps; he’s dissecting the psychology of obsession.
The film’s soundscape is equally haunting, Nala Sinephro’s minimalist score murmurs more than it shouts, drawing you into the quiet aftermath of violence. Cinematographer Maceo Bishop gives the film its sweat-soaked soul, shooting across a patchwork of formats, from 16mm to 70mm to rough-edged VHS, evoking the grain and texture of the late ’90s and early 2000s. Every frame breathes tension and history, with Safdie and Bishop using their lens to explore themes of addiction, loneliness, and the toxic intimacy of love and ambition.
As a visual and emotional experience, The Smashing Machine hits hard. It’s not a story of clean wins or cinematic triumphs — it’s about survival, pain, and identity. It’s ugly, beautiful, heavy, and strangely compassionate.
Dwayne Johnson shatters his Hollywood image, exposing the heart beneath the muscle, while Emily Blunt delivers one of the most blistering, emotionally volatile performances of her career. Together, they create something unforgettable.
With The Smashing Machine, Benny Safdie doesn’t just reinvent the sports biopic; he weaponises it. The result is intimate, restrained, and brutally honest. A24 once again proves its mastery of character-driven storytelling, and this one’s a knockout.
Image: VVSFilms
