REVIEW: “The Smashing Machine” (2025)

(Courtesy IMDb) 

When certain famous people have done certain things for so long, it’s easy to pigeonhole them and think that they can’t do anything beyond those things. In the case of, say, Robert Pattinson, it’s his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series. For Adam Sandler, it’s making people laugh through his many silly comedies. Then there’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who has gone from pro-fighting in the World Wrestling Federation to headlining some of the biggest action tentpoles of recent years. Even Johnson didn’t believe he could do more than be a seemingly invincible, macho screen hero. He has also stated that he’s now at a point in his career (at age 53) to take on more raw human stories. 

Enter filmmaker Benny Safdie, who (along with brother Josh Safdie) helped redefine the careers of Pattinson and Sandler with Good Time and Uncut Gems, respectively. And now, in Benny’s first solo directorial outing (Josh will have his own in December, with the release of Marty Supreme, in which Timotheé Chalamat plays ping pong), he directs Johnson as UFC fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine. (A documentary of the same name was released in 2002.) 

Set between 1997 and 2000, the film chronicles Kerr’s unique “freestyle” fighting techniques—an almost primal approach—in the ring and the octagon (with the Pride 7 Grand Prix in Japan being the main event), as well as his struggles with painkiller addiction and in overcoming professional loss. Granted, the film feels a little incomplete, with some nonlinear storytelling in its first act. Plus, we never see Kerr going through rehab after a critical point in his life; just the implication that he checked himself in, and when he got out. But this is, first and foremost, a very immersive, character-driven piece that gives viewers a front-row seat into the world of fighting (something the film has in common with a previous A24 release, the rawer and more tragic The Iron Claw from 2023). 

As far as performances go, Johnson has never been so transformative or dimensional. I remember seeing the first public image, on social media, of him in character and thinking, “That can’t be him!” (Plus, he had hair, and not of his trademark Samoan tattoos.) This has proven to be a role for Johnson to really flex his acting/dramatic muscles (ditto Emily Blunt, who equally disappears into the role of Kerr’s complicated spouse). It’s a walking, talking, and complicated dichotomy of somebody who appeared hulking and intimidating, but was also soft-spoken and humble, yet struggled to control his emotions and wrestled through loss—and the depression, anxiety, and PTSD that comes with it. You can really see and feel the pain and sadness in Mark’s face. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the film includes a visual metaphor of broken pottery glued together. Certainly, in terms of believing and hoping that broken people can get better. 

It’s almost hard for me to believe the wrestler-turned-actor packed on extra muscle for this role, as Johnson is already a big man. (The real Mark Kerr weighed 270-275 pounds in his prime.) Now, Johnson has stream a significant amount of muscle for his next role, said to be another radical turn under Benny Safdie’s direction. It’ll be quite a new chapter to see him continue to explore, whether said projects are financially-successful or not. But that’s what a true performer (and artist) does, regardless of the outcome.