The Smashing Machine (2025)

Film Details

Run Time: 2hr 4m

Director: Benny Safdie 

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk, Satoshi Ishii

Synopsis

MMA fighter Mark Kerr reaches the peak of his career in the sport but his hindered by an array of personal issues effecting his body and mind. 

My Review

The passion for both the craft and combat sports is evident through Benny Safdies meticulous care of Mark Kerr’s story and the beautiful filmmaking that brings it to life on screen. The use of a handheld camera and also 70mm film, helped provide such a strong sense of authenticity, producing a documentary-esque realism that allows the audience to become a fly on the wall for the rollercoaster that is Kerr’s life, or at least the three years explored here. Dwayne Johnson drops a performance of a lifetime and cements himself as the front runner for the Leading Actor Academy award this year. Credit must also go to the make-up and prosthetic team who produced the visual transformation, subtle, yet crucial in supplementing that aforementioned realism. Despite the excellent performances and Benny’s incredible directing talent, the storyline just wasn’t as captivating as I had hoped it would be. It’s an interesting story and it’s always worth highlighting those day one fighters of the UFC, but it doesn’t really set itself apart from any other biopic we have seen in recent years.

My Rating: 7.3 out of 10

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Film Review Club