Benny Safdie’s first solo feature tackles the tragedies and triumphs in Mark Kerr’s lifetime through an entrancing yet underwhelming footnote.
BY DANTE ALVAREZ
OCTOBER 6, 2025 2:01 EST
“The Smashing Machine”
©A24
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became a household name after ending his college football career, and signing himself up for a life of hit after hit in the WWE scene. Once he transitioned himself into the Hollywood sphere, he continued his hit after hit mentality at the box office. The lovable actor has always been seen as a box office draw due to his charm and arms that fill up screens across the world. Incredibly redundant and even a bit soulless, Johnson's schtick is one that's been stapled into the minds of millions.
With The Smashing Machine, Johnson finally puts himself in the passenger’s seat with a quiet and vulnerable look into the life of Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson). The chatter surrounding the "groundbreaking" work Johnson does in the film sets up an unrealistic expectation that's never fully met, but rather, it's more interesting to break down how close he was to a career defining performance.
Mark Kerr of UFC fame is out on full display here. In the film's opening sequence, Kerr is characterized as quiet and reserved, which creates an almost contradictory foundation to the UFC action. Yet, he sets himself up as a literal God when we're told he doesn't lose. The idea of failure leaves him frozen when a Japanese reporter alludes to the difficulty of his upcoming match. At home, Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt) faces the cowardly lion's roar after she messes up Kerr's morning smoothie.
The importance between the relationship is never lost except for one crucial part. In what feels like forever, the glue keeping the bowl together slowly fades when Blunt seemingly exits the whole thing, but don't fret, she comes back... an awkward thirty minutes later. The juggle between the UFC and relationship loses a lot of nuance in between the bars of both, but it definitely has some moments where those cracks are fully shown with every detail.
“The Smashing Machine”
©A24
Being unfamiliar with Kerr’s achievements and influence prior to the film allows for a bit of a tense atmosphere to be born out of the loose and slower storytelling. While Kerr’s life is filled with victories and triumphs received through the recognition of the UFC, the more tender and sensitive aspects of his life are what cast a shadow throughout the film’s entirety.
Summarizing Kerr's career from the span of 1997 to 2000, moments with his girlfriend are the most intense elements in an already harsh path. Emily Blunt doesn't shock anyone with an interpretation of a demanding and somehow terrifying sight to behold. She's a worthy standout and reassesses the identity of Benny Safdie-- an actor's director.
Breaking down the technical craft being presented, it’s hard to argue Safdie’s competence as a director. The film’s tedious runtime can definitely make it a chore to get through, but the elusive score demands you to stare and observe every moment. The UFC matches are dramatized with the music in theatrical ways, which makes it uneasy to consume such violent tendencies so easily.
The unfamiliar step into a calm overview is a bit shocking considering his previous contributions in pioneering the "ADHD-style" direction of the late 2010s/early 2020s. Unusually though, the camera is never still throughout the two hours, and it sort of becomes a character in the film. There's plenty of moments in which the camerawork captures the style of the 2002 documentary of the same subject.
The film’s use of long lenses creates a similar distance to that of Mark Kerr’s, and it creates an environment that feels alive. The overall naturalistic presentation succeeds in its complete audience immersion. Nevertheless, there's no justification for the audience to stay contemptuous and engaged with a mostly unjust retelling of Mark Kerr's life. It doesn't ever really expand on this story, and in its final moments, disregards the deconstruction of masculinity and manipulation for a more favorable and uplifting message. Safdie unfortunately doesn't dive deep into the UFC scene, leaving The Smashing Machine to read like an email.
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