Film Information
Title: The Smashing Machine
Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt
Year: 2025
Genre: Sports Drama / Biographical
Country: United States
From the moment The Smashing Machine was announced, the buzz was deafening. The combination of Dwayne Johnson, the Safdie brothers, and Emily Blunt sounded like the perfect formula for a raw, human, and electrifying biopic. But watching the film, I couldn’t help feeling that it simply wasn’t as powerful as all the hype suggested. It’s intense, ambitious, and occasionally gripping; yet it falls short of becoming the knockout it wants to be.
The Safdies bring their usual chaotic, kinetic energy to the direction. Like in Uncut Gems, the camera rarely sits still, the lighting is harsh, and the editing is razor-sharp and restless. The intention is clear: to pull us inside the mind of Mark Kerr; a fighter constantly battling addiction, pressure, and self-destruction. But this time, the style often turns overwhelming rather than immersive. The film jitters where it should breathe, and instead of tension, you sometimes get visual confusion.
Dwayne Johnson’s performance is one of the most daring of his career. He tries hard to shed his usual invincible persona, portraying a man broken by fame and fear. You can feel his sincerity, but something essential is missing. His version of Mark Kerr feels carefully built rather than lived-in. He holds too much control, too much awareness of being “different.” If only he’d allowed himself to loosen up – to smile like Kerr, to show that vulnerable awkwardness – the performance could have crossed from imitation into truth.
One of the most distracting issues is the inconsistent makeup. Kerr’s appearance shifts dramatically from scene to scene, sometimes looking battered and worn, sometimes inexplicably refreshed. These changes aren’t tied to the film’s timeline or his emotional arc, and the lack of continuity breaks immersion. It’s as if the movie forgets, from one fight to the next, who the man really is.
That said, the film still has moments that remind you why the Safdies are special. The fight sequences are electric; brutal, messy, and vividly shot. The energy in the ring feels real, the punches land, and the sound design captures every ounce of exhaustion. Emily Blunt also delivers a strong performance, grounding the story in warmth and humanity. Amid the chaos, she becomes the emotional pulse of the movie, the one place where empathy still breathes.
But despite these strengths, The Smashing Machine never quite connects emotionally. It swings hard, but too often misses the target. It’s a film full of good intentions, made with technical passion, yet lacking the intimacy that might have turned it into something unforgettable.
Watching The Smashing Machine feels like watching a fight that looks spectacular but lacks weight behind the blows. Johnson clearly wanted to surprise us, and in some ways, he does. But the real Mark Kerr’s charm – that small, knowing smile that made him both tragic and endearing – never shows up on screen. And that absence, more than anything, is what keeps the film from truly winning its fight.
IMDb
