I’ve never seen a role better fit for Dwayne Johnson than his performance in Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine. Portraying Mark Kerr, one of the founding fathers of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Johnson endured hours of makeup and facial prosthetics to pull off the look. Then, with the Brauma Bull unrecognizable, his talent shone in a way we’ve never seen before.
Mark Kerr was a larger-than-life fighter who employed a wrestling style of force against his opponents. The film opens with an audio clip from an interview where Kerr is responding to questions about violence with a soothing, gentle tone. In the same manner that you’d rock your kids to sleep with a lullaby, he would calmly address eye-gouging, head butts, and the unfamiliarity of losing. As his trajectory was trending upwards, his problems outside of the ringing grew more prominent.
The first problem that needed addressing was his addiction to opioids. In a sport so brutal, there’s guaranteed to be painful repercussions, and he injected those days where pain was unavoidable. The next issue, which is about as dangerous as the first, was his involvement with Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt). Trailers might lead you to believe she was a supportive partner who struggled to understand his lifestyle, when, in reality, she was just as toxic as his opioid addiction. Subtle behaviors by his close friends alluded to her toxicity being well-known. Bogged down by her own insecurities, she was a thorn in his side throughout most of the film. Whatever good moments were shown were short-lived, and she was an easy character to dislike from the beginning.
Thankfully, Kerr wasn’t alone. His best friend, Mark Coleman, was by his side his entire career and even competed against him in their younger days. Coleman was portrayed by real-life UFC fighter Ryan Bader, who made his acting debut in the film. In his own right, Bader put on a performance that’s worth a nod during awards season. Mostly calm and focused with impeccable eye contact, Bader juggled the responsibilities of family, Kerr’s well-being, and managing his own career.
The performance Johnson gave was astounding. The work of the makeup department on its own deserves praise for the visual greatness we experience. Johnson glides through the table of emotions, showing us his anger, gratitude, happiness, and his inevitable disappointment. A massive figure in size and stature, it was sometimes off-putting to see him speak so calmly. At times, it felt like another one of his internal battles was a child-like competence stuck in a monstrous-sized body. Regardless, the performance was a career best, and both Johnson and Bader deserve praise for their out-of-body performances.
The Smashing Machine gets a 9 out of 10. Taking place between 1997 and 2000, the film covers the most pivotal time in Kerr’s life and career. The film’s pacing is just slow enough that audiences can piece everything together without feeling bored. Just eclipsing two hours, it’s the perfect length to tell its intended story. Johnson gives the performance of his life. Even more impressively, his performance felt natural. Using him to portray Kerr also gave a special level of authenticity, seeing his longstanding career as a legendary wrestler and competitor. Definitely see this in theatres. It’s a tap-out good time at the movies!
The Smashing Machine premieres in theatres on Friday, October 3.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of A24
Genre: Docudrama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hrs, 3 minutes
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: October 3, 2025