The Smashing Machine (2025) Dir: Benny Safdie

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As a longtime fan of both cinema and the sport of mma, the prospect of an A24 produced independent drama following one of the sport's formative fighters interested me greatly. The film was directed by Benny Safdie, and, perhaps surprisingly, starred, of all people, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as the mixed martial arts pioneer Mark Kerr. I am, for the most part, tired of the never-ending number of biopics that hit cinemas every year, but, for once, I had one that actually appealed to me - it looked different to the many, many, other films based on real people's lives.

I have to commend the film's soundtrack first and foremost; the soft, jazz sounds complimented the story surprisingly effortlessly, including during the scenes with fighting - it was quite a refreshing concoction from the film's composer; Nala Sinephro, who even got a brief cameo in the film. From a visual perspective, I thought that the rectreated Pride and UFC sets were brilliant, and the film, generally speaking, looked really good. I did think that the prosthetics used by 'The Rock' looked a little odd, but after a while, I got used to it.

The film had an authenticity to it that I absolutely revelled in, not just in how it looked, but how it was shot - as if it were a documentary, as well as who was cast - including some real-life referees and fighters. It all helped build a sense of realism within the film, particularly in how well it recreated contemporary footage of the competitions. The emotions all felt very real too, especially during the more private or intimate moments, where the actors also thrived.

I do think the film missed some opportunities to explore the grief that motivated and fueled Mark Kerr's mma career, but, for the most part, I thought it did a very good job of conveying the part of Kerr's story that they did tell. The majority of the film was paced nicely, and nothing felt jarring or unnecessary. The final scene has been a little divisive, but I kind of liked it - I thought it was a nice tribute to one of mixed martial arts formative athletes.

If Dwayne Johnson was ever going to be nominated for an Academy award, it would be for this role. That doesn't mean I necessarily think he should be, although I did really enjoy his acting, for the most part. I thought Johnson did very well to convey the vulnerabilities of Kerr, especially in the middle portion of the story. This may end up being a one-off showcase of Johnson's dramatic acting abilities, but, for what it's worth, I thought he showed a lot more than I expected.

Emily Blunt was, as I suspected, absolutely phenomenal in her key role. I think she is one of the best actresses in the industry, and this was yet another fine example of her ability to produce stardust when called upon. Her huge range of emotions not only electrified many of the more conflict-heavy moments in the film, but also elevated some of the more tender scenes as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see Blunt's name mentioned too, when awards season comes around again.

I think a performance that will likely go quite under the radar in this film came from real-life fighter Ryan Bader, who portrayed another mma pioneer; Mark Coleman. I thought Bader did a very decent job of portraying the slightly stilted man of few words that he was playing, and I found his acting very endearing. I also really enjoyed the performances of both the legendary mix martial artist; Bas Rutten - as himself, and the boxing world champion; Oleksandr Usyk - as Igor Vovchanchyn. Neither featured too prominently, but left a memorable mark on the film, regardless.

Overall, although I had been looking forward to the film, I was surprised by just how much I ended up enjoying this indie sports drama. It had its issues, but, by and large, I found the film to be a compelling, well-made and memorable biopic, which shone a light on one of combat sport's less championed pioneers. Furthermore, unlike a lot of biopics, I can actually see myself rewatching this one. How much awards recognition it will get, I'm not sure, but I for one enjoyed it.