The world is about to see a very different side of Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine. From writer/director Benny Safdie, the sports biopic follows the life of Mark Kerr, the legendary mixed martial artist and UFC pioneer. The film received rave reviews upon its debut at the Venice International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, and is now playing in theaters nationwide.
The Smashing Machine is a powerful and gritty story chronicling Mark Kerr’s rise in the early days of MMA and ultimately becoming a UFC champion. However, his subsequent struggles with painkiller addiction and his turbulent relationship with girlfriend Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt) take an immense physical and psychological toll on his life and career.
The film is a significant departure from the usual action fare Johnson has been doing for the majority of his career, and he has even confessed he felt very nervous about tackling the role, something he hasn’t had to deal with for a long time. “It was very real. I had not experienced that in a very, very, very long time, where I was really scared and thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. Can I do this?’” Johnson said. “I realized that maybe these opportunities weren’t coming my way because I was too scared to explore this stuff… I was so hungry for an opportunity to do something raw and gritty and rip myself open. And all of a sudden, ‘Smashing Machine’ comes along.“
Our own Chris Bumbray loved the film, saying, “The Smashing Machine should prove to be a success for A24 in every way once it gets its theatrical release, as critics will respect it while Johnson’s many fans will be dying to see him in something so different from the rest of his filmography. He’s done an excellent job reinventing himself, and no one can deny The Smashing Machine was well worth the effort all involved put into it.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.
Let us know in the comments below what you thought of The Smashing Machine.
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