Jackson Bragman, Special to The Denisonian–
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers from the 2025 film “The Smashing Machine.”
Dwayne Johnson has been in our lives for a long time now. Whether as a professional wrestler, actor, or media magnate, we all know him as “The Rock”; one of entertainment’s biggest names and America’s most familiar entities. But, it’s in Benny Safdie’s solo directorial debut that for the first time in his on-screen career, we have to really squint to see Johnson.
In ‘The Smashing Machine,’ “The Rock” is buried underneath a whopping 23 facial prosthetics and a deeply nuanced portrayal of legendary mixed martial artist Mark Kerr. It’s a performance that could earn Johnson his first Oscar nomination.
After six years in the making, Safdie and Johnson introduce us to the story of Johnson’s character, Mark Kerr. Kerr is a soft spoken, yet articulate and affable individual (who happens to weigh 260 pounds and beat people up for a living). This stark juxtaposition leads me to believe its title is more tongue-and-cheek than I had initially accounted for. “The Smashing Machine” aims to explore that contrast (and for my money, does quite a good job), but runs into some roadblocks along the way that hamper its overall impact.
Ahead of a highly anticipated bout against Ukrainian fighter Igor Vovchanchyn (played by real-life world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk), a journalist asks the undefeated Kerr how he thinks he would feel if he lost.
“I don’t know … I am trying to intellectualize it with you, but, yeah, I can’t,” he replies, not arrogantly, but earnestly.
Vovchanchyn uses an illegal knee to the head to knock Kerr out, handing him his first career loss. The result later is overturned to a no contest, but the damage is done. The Smashing Machine is no longer invincible. After consuming copious amounts of painkillers, he necessitates more to numb not only his physical pain, but also the shame and embarrassment of his loss. Ordinarily calm and patient, he grows irritable with his girlfriend, Dawn (who is played by Emily Blunt). Dawn says she doesn’t recognize him anymore, and that she doesn’t know who this person is. Neither does he. Who is he if not a winner?
Hours after an eventual overdose, Kerr sits propped up in a hospital bed sharing the details of what happened with his friend and training partner, Mark Coleman (played by professional mixed martial artist Ryan Bader).
“Um I was, I was on the floor and I um uh, I couldn’t wake up… It’s weird. You know me, I don’t have verbal pauses,” Kerr says, through a blase facade that quickly deteriorates into an outburst of inconsolable tears.“I want to die,” he murmurs so subtly, if you blink, you’ll miss it.
Kerr enrolls in a multiweek inpatient rehab center to work through his addiction. Upon his discharge, he and Dawn take a celebratory trip to the carnival. When Dawn wants to ride The Graviton, Kerr is hesitant.
“Why?” She pleads. “Because, my tummy,” Kerr (who “The Rock” had to put on 30 pounds of muscle to authentically portray) replies, “You know what that would do to my tummy, I would get sick everywhere.” Dawn goes on the ride alone, leaving him to hold her purse (in place of his pride).
“The Smashing Machine” is effective in conveying the narrative of its paradoxical protagonist. Kerr is introspective and empathetic. He questions his mortality and has respect for his adversaries, although that doesn’t stop him from beating them to a pulp. Where the film lacks depth, however, is beyond Kerr.
Dawn’s character, for instance, feels surface level. Clearly unable to relate to her lover, she’s painted as tempered and unempathetic, bobbing back and forth between hot and cold. There’s a real missed opportunity to thoroughly examine her character, leaving Emily Blunt (who’s a generally tremendous actress) without much to work with.
A lot of the film’s subplots are also underdeveloped. While we dive deep into Kerr’s struggles with self doubt, identity, and masculinity, his relationship with pain and drug addiction feels half-baked. A deeper look into Kerr’s overdose and/or rehab, for instance, would’ve served the final cut in place of yet another training montage or yet another dramatic quarrel with Dawn, of both there were at least one two many.
No misguidance of narrative could take away from Johnson’s performance and, I must say, this is a well-shot, well-scored, and well-directed film that gets some extra style points for avoiding falling into cliche biopic tropes. It’s the slightly rocky screenplay, however, that holds “The Smashing Machine” back from reaching its full potential. Pun intended.
Jackson Bragman ‘27 is a journalism and cinema double major from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.