The Smashing Machine Review

A Gritty Punch That Doesn’t Quite Land

Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine arrives with high expectations, marking the first time one of the Safdie brothers directs solo. Known for their intense, chaotic storytelling in films like Good Time and Uncut Gems, the Safdies have built a reputation for capturing the raw energy of desperation and obsession. Here, however, Benny Safdie ventures into new territory — and not entirely successfully.

The film, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as real-life UFC fighter Mark Kerr, dives into the turbulent life of one of the sport’s early icons. Kerr, once a champion and legend in mixed martial arts, becomes the lens through which Safdie explores masculinity, vulnerability, and the toll of emotional repression.

A Fighter Caught Between Violence and Vulnerability

At its core, The Smashing Machine examines the paradox of being both a warrior and a human being. Kerr embodies this contradiction — a man celebrated for his primal ferocity in the cage but quietly crumbling under the weight of addiction, insecurity, and emotional isolation.

Safdie’s direction attempts to capture this dichotomy with his signature cinéma vérité touch, blending realism with stylized art-house flair. Yet, unlike Good Time’s tightly wound chaos, The Smashing Machine feels uneven. The visual grit is there, but the emotional tension that made his earlier films so gripping never fully materializes.

A Misfired Blend of Art and Biography

Part of the issue lies in the film’s identity crisis. Safdie seems torn between making an introspective character study and a conventional sports biopic — and the two rarely coexist smoothly. The story touches on Kerr’s battles with drugs, his volatile relationship with his girlfriend (played by Emily Blunt), and his friendship with a fellow fighter. But these threads often feel disconnected, lacking the cohesion or build-up necessary to create momentum.

By the time the film reaches its third act, where Kerr must face his friend in the ring, the emotional payoff falls flat. The audience understands what’s happening, but not why it truly matters.

Dwayne Johnson’s Career-Best Acting — Yet Missing Something

For Dwayne Johnson, this film is clearly a passion project and a bold step away from his blockbuster image. Gone is the indestructible superhero persona — in its place is a man full of internal conflict and fragile strength. Johnson delivers one of his most nuanced performances, capturing Kerr’s frustration and self-doubt with surprising restraint.

One standout scene shows Kerr trimming a cactus with quiet rage while speaking to his girlfriend — a small but tense moment that reveals both his control and volatility. Still, as commendable as Johnson’s transformation is, the deeper pain and exhaustion that defined the real Mark Kerr never fully surface.

The real Kerr makes a brief cameo, and even in that fleeting appearance, his eyes convey the kind of melancholy and burden that the film only hints at.

Emily Blunt’s Underused Talent

Emily Blunt brings natural empathy and emotional grounding to her role, but the script gives her little to work with. Her character is written mostly as a reflection of Kerr’s chaos rather than as a person with her own depth. Their relationship scenes, while frequent, become repetitive and predictable — a missed opportunity for richer emotional exploration.

A Story That Forgets Its Own Punch

Ironically, The Smashing Machine doesn’t seem all that interested in the fighting world it portrays. The matches feel secondary, lacking the visceral impact one might expect from a film about a UFC legend. Instead, the movie tries to focus on Kerr’s psychology but doesn’t dig deep enough to justify sidelining the sport.

The pacing falters, the editing feels disjointed, and the script never quite manages to tie its scattered ideas into a cohesive emotional arc. What should have been an intimate yet explosive character study instead feels like a muted echo of Safdie’s previous intensity.

Final Verdict

The Smashing Machine aims for profound introspection but lands somewhere between a gritty sports drama and a fragmented art film. Dwayne Johnson deserves credit for pushing himself into uncharted territory, and Emily Blunt’s performance adds sincerity where the script falls short. Yet, the film’s lack of focus, tension, and genuine emotional clarity make it a disappointing experience.

Rating
Plot/storyline/Script	6
Acting/Performances	6
Direction	7.5
Cinematography/Visuals	7
Editing/Pacing	6
Sound/Music (Score & Soundtrack)	7
Theme/Message/Depth	7.5
Entertainment Value/Emotional Impact	6

Verdict: Stream it for the performances — but don’t expect a knockout.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5 stars)

Author’s Note:

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