Synopsis: The story of legendary mixed martial arts & UFC fighter Mark Kerr.
What We Thought:
You might as well hand any and all make-up effects awards to The Smashing Machine today because Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is almost unrecognizable as MMA legend Mark Kerr. Between the hair/wig and the reshaping of his face, it’s absolutely fantastic make-up work. What is also fantastic is Johnson’s performance, without a doubt the best of his career.
That’s right, all the hype you’re hearing about The Rock’s performance is legit. He jumps into the dramatic leading man ring with ease and dominates the screen. He easily goes toe to toe with Emily Blunt and sure the story is about a fighter which Johnson was in real life, but he’s charming and easy to root for in the film. He brings humanity and genuine emotion to Kerr and the performance never feels like a caricature of an in-ring beast. If 2025 ends up as a weak year for leading performances, The Rock could land some award nominations.
Along with Johnson the supporting cast is equally as good. MMA star Ryan Bader plays former MMA star Mark Coleman. I can’t tell you if Bader has ever acted before in his life, but he’s up there for Best Supporting Actor for 2025 to me. I thought he was brilliant. As was the always awesome Bas Rutten. Rutten was hilarious and a scene stealer in Here Comes the Boom and he again steals every scene he’s in playing himself here. The man has an on-screen presence about him.
I love fight films like The Fighter, The Wrestler, Raging Bull and Rocky. If it wasn’t for the style of this movie I’d add it to that list. Despite the fantastic performances the only thing really keeping me from highly praising it is the look of the film. Benny Safdie shot a lot of it documentary style because of the late 1990s/early 2000s timeline and I wish he hadn’t. The close-up, handycam look takes away the size and scope of MMA fighting. Fight films should be big and over-the-top, this was too intimate and personal at times. The character moments make sense looking that way, but in ring action should have a much broader scope to them to give the action the grandness it deserves.
The Smashing Machine lived up to the early hype especially in the performance area. I didn’t love the style of the film, but it’ll still probably crack my top ten of 2025. Johnson and Blunt continue their great chemistry from Jungle Cruise and I hope Ryan Bader gets some notice as well. Stylistically it wasn’t for me and I honestly don’t know how of all people Mark Kerr landed a biopic, but The Rock is incredible as him and the movie will lead to more dramatic roles for the Brahma Bull.
The Nerds Templar 