Coração de Lutador - The Smashing Machine

If you want to see an extremely sweaty Johnson, boy do I have a movie for you. In THE SMASHING MACHINE, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as Mark Kerr, an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter before UFC became the UFC it is today. He was a pioneer of the sport, but between 1997-2000, Kerr had a lot going on. Struggles with his conflicting relationship with Dawn (Emily Blunt) and with his personal demons. This movie is...fine, but I do have a few problems with it. It successfully avoids the typical tropes you usually see in sports movies, but it doesn't replace that with anything of substance. The screenplay is flat, the characters feel like ideas of people instead of actual people (which they actually are). Don't get me wrong, the acting performances here are impressive. Blunt is always great, but Johnson actually puts in the work here, much more than his signature smolder. Nothing pulled me in. I needed more feels. It's shot like a documentary, keeping the audience at arms-length. They go for a more observational approach, going from life event to life event, not breaking the surface of anything. I wanted to be immersed in Mark's world, but I never was. The music, while interesting, was overbearing at times. I like the duality between Mark the soft-spoken, kind-hearted guy, and Mark the smashing machine. The makeup is amazing, successfully transforming a rock into a smashing machine. Overall, THE SMASHING MACHINE is sadly underwhelming, but I love the acting. A24 took a swing with this, sport fans might enjoy this, but I found it only alright.

Expect a sad, bad edited, and strange movie. It is not about fighting, but about the relationship between Mark and his girlfriend, and between Mark and his addiction to opioids. There is absolutely no happy moment in this movie. No build up towards an epic moment. It was very flat. On the other hand, acting was great.

The praise Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has gotten for looking the part is warranted, but also a surface level compliment. Greatest accomplishment is a real range of emotions he gets to show in a story that doesn't get the whitewash treatment. 'The Smashing Machine' was a pet project he took on years ago and I was glad to see it turn into reality. It may not be deep, but having knowledge of the documentary it takes it's name from or early days of MMA goes a long way here.

Mark Kerr (Johnson) is a rising star in MMA circa 1997 with a good buddy and fellow fighter in Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader) by his side and loving gf Dawn (Emily Blunt). Unfortunately his addiction to pain meds in combination with suffering his first setback in the ring derails a promising start. Able to cast these demons aside, he trains with renewed purpose until Dawn launches her own brand of craziness. Will Kerr make good on his comeback or will it all end in sadness?

When I first heard 'Smashing' was coming out my #1 fear was they were going to do a magic act with Dawn. Saw the documentary years ago and it was solid. You knew part of Mark's problem was his own doing, but it was also clear Dawn wasn't a good influence. Luckily there's no attempt at sugarcoating things here. For her part Blunt does some solid acting which keeps the girlfriend role from feeling like a cliche.

As a fan of MMA seeing Bader portray Coleman was fun even if he doesn't physically resemble him and of course you get Bas Rutten playing himself in a vital role. Lots of love for the olden days of MMA via Pride or early UFC through soundbites. Fact the real Mark Kerr is shown is a nice touch too. Again I'll mention how great it is to see Johnson take on a role that gives him a chance to step outside his money / familiar zone where it's clear he's really committed to the project. He's the glue.

When the lights came up and I left the theater, I struggled to balance how I felt about 'The Smashing Machine'. Not because I didn't enjoy it, but because it has to overcome a predictable plot as I already knew Kerr's tale and it partakes in classic sports movie tropes. I even started to get antsy in my seat towards the end so it perhaps it could have been edited tighter. However I still believe there's enough here for MMA fans and Johnson turns in a killer performance. Only caveat is I don't think it's going to land quite the same way for casual audiences who might expect a different kind of film.

The Smashing Machine is a powerful and emotionally gripping sports drama that goes far beyond the world of fighting. The film doesn't just showcase the brutality of combat sports-it dives deep into the struggles, sacrifices, and humanity behind them.

One of the standout elements is the acting, especially by Dwayne Johnson. He delivers one of his most mature and layered performances to date. Johnson portrays the complexity of a fighter torn between personal demons and professional battles with both strength and vulnerability. His performance adds real heart to the story, making the audience feel every triumph and every setback.

The storytelling is raw yet inspiring, with strong direction and a grounded script that highlights not just the physical toll of the sport but also the emotional and psychological weight carried by athletes.

Overall, The Smashing Machine is more than just a sports film-it's an intense character study filled with grit, heart, and unforgettable performances. Highly recommended, especially if you appreciate powerful acting and stories about resilience.

The Rock makes a decent performance compared to other things I've seen him in. But it's far from award winning. I feel this is massively over hyped. It barely has a plot which is it's biggest flaw! It's not a patch on a film like The wrestler. I viewed it at the cinema with friends and we all came out disappointed. I'm glad I watched it as it has been spoken about so much pre release. The place is slow and respectfully the main characters back story wasnt interesting enough. It was a great effort by the director but being based on a true story is no good, if the true story is pretty boring. No amount of poetic licence could bring this film to life. I enjoyed the odd cameo and the soundtrack was pleasant.