The Smashing Machine

Mark Kerr is the main focus of this film, and it deals with his incredible rise from a wrestler, to one of the elite members of Mixed Martial Arts. Though Mark is at the top of his game, his need for pain relief grows to extremes, and other troubles soon arise. This documentary on "ultimate fighting," features many great Pride fighters like Igor Vovchanchyn, Vanderlei Silva, Mark Coleman and Renzo Gracie. Bas Rutten ultimately steals the show, though Mark is truly a specimen of massive power. The film manages to get in the very midst of the Pride tournament, and fans of Vale Tudo events would love to see such great shots and interviews of their favorite fighters. The film is very violent, though the athletes involved have the utmost technique and dedication for their martial art form. Truly a very unique type of person could be involved in these events, and the film captures that perfectly. Hopefully with this film, people will begin to appreciate the technique and sport, rather than just viewing it as fighting.

A 10 ****

At times tough to watch, it's a fly on the wall movie that really shows the turmoil that the fighters went through in the early days. What's most interesting now is seeing the defunct PRIDE organization at its near peak in the early days. For a big fan of that era, this is like a nice little time capsule. Well worth checking out!

As a big fan of Pro Wrestling, Mixed Martial Arts and No holds Barred fighting I must say that out of all of the truly great behind the scenes documentaries this may very well be the single most well paced and perfectly executed one of them all. Centering around the road to the Pride fighting championship tournament in 2000 it leaves few stones unturned in its portrayal and career demise of a very promising fighter in Mark Kerr. The soft spoken and polite Kerr was quite a magnificent grappler in his day, but once the reality set in that as an amateur he would make little money to sustain his life he turned to MMA after his good friend Mark Coleman (who is also prominently featured in the film, though to a lesser extent) recommended it. The Trials and tribulations he endured that led to him ultimately quitting MMA is well documented, drawing you into a world of addiction, withdrawal and diluted desire. Its sad to see what Kerr gave up for his future wife, but perhaps it was never meant to be as his heart never truly seemed to be into it anyway. Along the way you meet several different MMA stars he would share his fame with, such as his trainer the damn near unstoppable MMA LEGEND Bas Rutten. On the flip side you see the redemption of Mark "the Hammer" Coleman as he fights to rebound from the humiliating UFC loss to Maurice Smith he endured 2 years earlier. Seeing these men in such a different light is a sparkling reminder of just how human they really are (such as Coleman obvious love for his children), and subsequently how prone to human error they are as well. Watching Kerr hit rock bottom due to his Pain Killer addiction is a sad sight, but after all the pro wrestling and combat sports health issues and deaths it has to be seen. Perhaps someone will finally wake up and clean up an industry that has long needed cleaning... perhaps not. No harm in hoping though. In closing I have to say this film is must see viewing for MMA/Wrestling fans and a perfect example of how to document an individual without compromising their dignity. Highly recommended.

This was an excellent documentary on a typical fighter and the trials and tribulations one must endure to not only compete, but to gain a certain level of success as well. In this case, Mark Kerr was the subject and we are showed quite a few of his ups and downs in his career, both personal and professional.

The Smashing Machine also brought the average joe into what is going on behind the scenes, the press conferences, the relationships with the other fighters, etc. We are shown that Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman are good friends, who train together and are also willing to step into the ring, octagon or whatever and fight it out with each other as well. At times, this actually seemed to drift away from Kerr and more onto Coleman, who started to become more interesting than Kerr later on in the movie.

We are also given a look at some intense training with Kerr and Bas Rutten. This was probably the best part of the documentary, as I was most entertained by the scenes with Kerr and Rutten.

Although I enjoyed The Smashing Machine immensely, I would have chosen someone other than Kerr to feature. Personally, I would like to see how someone like Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock or any of the other bigger names in Mixed Martial Arts go about their daily business and training. I'm sure it would be just as enthralling, if not more. 8/10

Like many people who have commented on this movie, I too was a big fan of the UFC when it first came about. I eventually stopped paying attention to UFC after a few years because they started making so many rules, it went from being a human cockfight to a mundane wrestling match. Why I would want to watch two men beat one another within an inch of their lives is a question better answered by the psychologists. The only viable answer I can give you is the fascination of seeing so many different forms of martial arts square off against one another. (After all, seeing a 450 lb. Sumo wrestler get choked out on the mat by a 165 lb. Jujitsu master is quite a spectacle.)

But it's a lot more fun and glamorous to watch -- or at least so I thought. I was lucky enough to go to the opening of The Smashing Machine and did not find myself cheering on the blood and gore as I did when I used to rent UFC on pay-per-view. You see, when you watch the UFC, you don't get to know the people in the ring. You almost forget that these are real people, in many cases, just trying to put food on the table for their family. For as much as we see these people as insane and deserving of their punishment for voluntarily choosing such a career path, these are real people - just like you and I.

The Smashing Machine is a brilliant documentary that follows Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman on a multiyear quest from UFC in America to the spectactular Pride competition in Japan. You see the befores, the afters and the inbetweens. You get inside these peoples' heads and hearts and can feel the emotion that courses through them at every moment of their journey. It is not glamorous by any means.

This documentary is very powerful in its ability to tell the human story while still satisfying the audience who loves the brutality -- with clip after clip of knees crashing repeatedly into unprotected skulls and eye sockets and blood spilling out as though it were poured onto the mat from a bucket. The narrative is compelling. The sequences are dramatic and hard-hitting.

I had the privilege of meeting both Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman at the premiere of this documentary. I cannot say I still wasn't shaking my head and asking "why?" but for them this sort of thing is their badge of pride -- and in many cases, their only paycheck.

Check it out.