Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new movie review! This time, I will be looking into what has been seen the Dwayne Johnson’s big attempt to get into the Awards race with The Smashing Machine. Johnson is someone who has had quite the career, becoming one of the most recognizable and bankable stars in Hollywood through starring in various popcorn flicks that people tend to enjoy. Recently, he has had hit some rough patches, namely the whole Black Adam fiasco that painted him in a not very good light due to him essentially trying to take over the DC universe. Now, he looks to re build his image in a way by doing something smaller in scale and prestige by teaming up with one half of the Safdie brothers in Benny, in order to make a biopic concerning prolific UFC fighter, Mark Kerr. He was also the subject of a documentary of the same name that this film is based off of. I definitely was intrigued in seeing what this film had to offer had thought it was neat to see The Rock act in a drama, something he hasn’t done in a while. Was this able to be a knock out? Let’s jump right in and see how much fight this film has in it!
Taking place in 1999, we follow the personal life of UFC fighter, Mark Kerr, an athlete who is extremely skilled at what he does and is currently in the peak of his career. However, his life is not perfect as we witness the tumultuous relationship he has with his wife as well as his drug use which he does on and off again. We also get to see his various fight and how he fares being coached under his fellow fighter and friend Mark Coleman, in a tale that shows just how much of a prolific figure he was to the sport.
As one can see, there really isn’t that much of a “plot” going on here. It mostly plays out like a bunch of scenes of Kerr’s day to day life with the trajectory of his UFC career looming in the background. Safdie goes for a very low key approach in tackling this subject matter and it made for an interesting watch, especially with such a larger than life subject matter like wrestling. It almost feels like a documentary at points with a real “on the ground” feel that makes it feel like we are a fly on the wall witnessing the events transpire and this approach is successful in conveying the humanity of our protagonist and making him feel like a three dimensional person. There are plenty of effective scenes that serve to show who Mark is and how he develops throughout the course of the feature and it also presents the culture of UFC in what looks like an authentic light, showcasing what these people go through in order to compete and a snippet of how it is viewed by the world.
Now, as much as I admire this approach, some setbacks do come into the fray as the lack of a plotline also just makes the film feel like a series of very well acted and crafted scenes and one notices this pattern very quickly. It gets repetitive and I will admit there came a point in the middle where I did lose some interest as I was questioning whether this was going anywhere at all. Thankfully, the ending stuck the landing and saved things for me as things clicked for me as to how the film wanted to go about looking at the idea of one’s life being consumed by the need to win and what kind of toll that takes on oneself both physically and mentally. It serves as a solid meditation on toxic masculinity as well and learning to accept when something is wrong with themselves and that this strive to be perfect may not lead to a perfect outcome. Do I wish the film as a whole were more engrossing? Absolutely, but it definitely has its moments.
I mentioned the film having a bit of a documentary style to it in regards to how the narrative is told, and the filmmaking on display definitely reinforces that vibe. The film has this look to it that almost makes it feel like we are watching archival footage of Kerr’s life and it can be quite striking to the extent that the film translates recognizable moments from the documentary, which makes the film work as an interesting experiment if nothing else. The use of shaky cam during these moments also adds to this feeling as we further feel immersed into this world and and it does a good job in symbolizing Kerr’s roller coaster of emotions. The film has a great visual look to it that makes it feel like a time capsule and I think the production team did a successful job in transporting us to the 90s with all of the different choices for locations, costumes, music choices, and even the general look.
I also think Safdie does a strong job in getting us into Mark’s head as we see how he views so much in relation to his career that he can’t stop thinking about it and the way he composes certain shots together really make that clear. Nala Sinephro’s score is also quite effective in that it matches the more personal stakes of the story and can be especially moving during some of the more intimate scenes. Of course, if one is going to a movie about UFC, then one would expect some fighting to be involved. A bit of a warning, if one is expecting a plethora of smackdowns, there will be an immense amount of disappointment as there are not too many in this picture. However, what we do get is extremely well done and presents the brutality of the sport in a way that can get one flinching as one can feel when the blows are landed. The switching between medium shots of them duking it out and close ups of them really tearing at one another just does a very good job in showcasing just how violent the sport is and the kind of physicality required.
Now, when it comes to Johnson, putting aside my frustrations concerning his offscreen behavior, I’ve always enjoyed him as a performer and think he is better than many give him credit for. That being said, I was very interested in seeing him tackle a full on dramatic performance, something he hasn’t really done in a good bit and my goodness, he absolutely commits here. He is outstanding, really showing what he can do when given this kind of direction, giving a very soulful and nuanced portrait of a complicated individual. What Johnson does especially well is digging into Kerr’s winning mentality, as someone who strives to be perfect at what he does, not even considering the possibility that he could lose. He puts on something of a facade, hiding the fear he holds deep down of not reaching his potential, and when he lets out his emotions it is very strong emotional work from Johnson who is refreshingly vulnerable in a way that most of his recent blockbusters don’t really allow him to be. If anything, I can see why he would gravitate towards this role as it sort of mirrors how is viewed in real life as this all powerful guy who can never be beaten, something that Johnson himself seemingly supported for the longest time. This feels like him acknowledging that ego and doing some soul searching in order to portray someone who in a way is not too different from him. It’s that level of subtext that made the ending click even more for me and I do think the film works best when viewed through this lens.
As the other huge name on the marquee, Emily Blunt does solid work as Dawn, and I think her messy relationship with Kerr is well established as she is someone trying to keep up with his perfectionist attitude, but is starting to lose it. The movie shows both sides to this dynamic as neither individual is completely right or wrong and one can be sympathetic towards either one of them depending on a given scene. However, Blunt does come off a bit like the stereotypical wife role in these sorts of movies and I don’t know is she was the best casting choice as it feels like they wanted to get someone famous. That and I do think a lot of the scenes of them arguing do begin to blend together to the point where it feels like we are just getting the same ideas re stated over and over again. One neat touch I did appreciate though is how the supporting cast is made up of a bunch of real life UFC/MMA figures with Ryan Bader giving an especially excellent turn as Mark. He serves as someone in stark contrast to Kerr as he mostly has things figured out and Bader brings a cool and collectedness that makes him feel like someone who has been at this for a while. He has very nice chemistry with Johnson as their friendship is showcased nicely and I think some of the best character moments are them just talking. I honestly kind of wish we got more of it as I did find myself noticeably more invested in the movie when this angle was explored.
All in all, I found The Smashing Machine to be a solid sports drama that has a lot to admire in terms of what it is going for. I do think the barebones plot hinders it a bit as it can be a bit repetitive in parts and I wanted more from certain aspects. However I think the low key approach is interesting from a storytelling point of view, it can be very effective at its best, it is very well made and shot, the themes are interesting, and the performances are all very strong with Johnson giving one of the best of his entire career. I think fans of UFC may or may not get a lot of out of it depending on what they are expecting, but for those looking for a good and oftentimes interesting sports story and/or want to see The Rock do something outside his usual wheelhouse, then this is one worth checking out. This is the kind of project I hope to see him do more of, as I would love to see him stretch his acting muscles more and work with interesting talent in order to push his limits as a performer. It’s a step in the right direction and I hope the disappointing box office figures for this film don’t deter him trying again in the future.
Rating: B
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