THE SMASHING MACHINE movie poster | ©2025 A24

Rating: R
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten
Writer: Benny Safdie
Director: Benny Safdie
Distributor: A24
Release Date: October 3, 2025

THE SMASHING MACHINE is a fact-based drama about the life and career of mixed martial arts fighting star Mark Kerr. This follows the 2022 HBO documentary about Kerr, THE SMASHING MACHINE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EXTREME FIGHTER MARK KERR.

What sets the new SMASHING MACHINE apart from other narrative features covering mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling, and other full-contact one-on-one sports is not so much the approach of writer/director Benny Safdie to the material. Instead, it is the performance of Dwayne Johnson in his first non-outsized-action/non-comedy role.

There’s a bit of meta thinking that is likely to occur to viewers going into THE SMASHING MACHINE. Johnson as Kerr is wearing prosthetics to make him more closely resemble the real person he’s playing. Since Kerr’s face isn’t necessarily indelible to general audiences (MMA fans may be more familiar with him), it wouldn’t seem that this level of detail is necessary.

Then one reflects on what it would be like to have Johnson portraying Kerr without makeup. Seeing Johnson, whose face is known to most filmgoers, doing the emotional scenes here might bring unwanted reflections of previous, lighter characters and pull us out of the scenario. The makeup allows Johnson to visually disappear into Kerr without distractions.

During 1999-2000, the timeframe covered by most of THE SMASHING MACHINE, there were two different organizations sponsoring mixed martial arts championships. Ultimate Fighting Championship, aka UFC, is U.S.-based. Pride Fighting Championships (which had nothing to do with LGBTQ interests), or KRS-Pride, was headquartered in Japan, holding its tournaments in Tokyo.

Kerr fought in matches for both groups, but THE SMASHING MACHINE is mostly concerned with his Pride bouts, as well as his relationship with live-in girlfriend Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt) and best friend/fellow fighter Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader).

For Kerr, winning a fight is the most important thing in life. He’s not shy about this; in fact, he’s proud of his priorities and will discuss them in depth with anyone who will listen.

Unfortunately, Dawn doesn’t seem to comprehend what Kerr is saying when he talks about his passion, and Kerr doesn’t understand that he hurts her feelings with his “I know you’re trying your best” reactions when she doesn’t do what he wanted or expected. The two are so tone-deaf to each other that there is an element of psychological masochism on both sides. As acted and scripted, Kerr and Dawn are wholly believable, just frequently painful to observe.

Speaking of painful, for those who aren’t MMA fans, the sport turns out to have some rules. One of these prohibits kneeing an opponent in the head (an important plot point). However, it is perfectly acceptable to repeatedly punch someone in the face when they’re already laid out on the floor.

THE SMASHING MACHINE depicts a spirit of camaraderie among the combatants; they all get along great when they’re not beating the daylights out of each other for cheering crowds. While Kerr and Coleman don’t relish the possibility that they’ll have to fight each other, neither is averse to it.

There’s an obvious irony in that Kerr is far more agreeable with men whose skin he splits open and vice-versa than with the woman who is his lover. This doesn’t occur to the characters, for whom self-awareness is mostly out of reach.

Johnson is very good as Kerr, who is trying to be as honest as he can and is fiercely dedicated to his calling. Blunt is persuasive as the volatile Dawn and novice actor Bader, who comes from the UFC world, is natural and likable as Coleman.

THE SMASHING MACHINE keeps us curious about what will happen, even if it doesn’t provide enormous insight into mixed martial arts. For that matter, we’d like more perspective on Kerr himself. The movie chronicles what he says and does but leaves us to decide for ourselves what it all means. Given that this is scripted fare rather than a documentary, it feels like some authorial opinion might be in order.

The film does demonstrate that Johnson can convincingly carry a film in a straight role, which seems to be the victory that the filmmakers most desire.

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