The Smashing Machine

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.

While this is undoubtedly the best we've seen dwayne johnson, that's not necessarily saying all that much. If an NBA player goes from 2 points a game to 15, that's an impressive improvement but that doesn't mean he's an MVP. And with all the talk of dwayne johnson's performance, it's a little ironic that emily blunt and ryan bader acted circles around him every scene there were in.

Overall this was a frustratingly well stylized movie that would be otherwise aggressively mediocre.

6.2/10 (Kinda Sorta Recommend)

I'm not going to tell you flat out to avoid this film, but I will say you should approach it cautiously. While transforming Dwayne Johnson into another man so much so he's unrecognizable is remarkable, that's not the only thing about the movie you should be concerned with.

If you're like me and have no idea who Mark Kerr is, what his life was like, or what he achieved, then I would say this movie still doesn't answer those questions, fully. I want to know who is. Where did he come from? Why is his relationship with his girlfriend so tumultuous? How did he get into MMA? How did he provide or become the transition for UFC? When and why did his addictions start? I realize this isn't a documentary, but the film could've easily provided a little info for newcomers to help understand what they were getting into while also maintaining the current story. Lastly, the pacing was off for me. The film felt long because I felt lost the entire time and wasn't sure where in the story we necessarily were.

As for what makes this film enjoyable, it's how the action is caught. Bringing you into the arguments and fights. Not shying away from the difficult aspects that exist in the life of the film. The acting by Dwayne Johnson is palpable. This character doesn't feel like a copy/paste of the roles he's had over the last twenty years. It has genuine emotion and feelings. While I don't consistently feel happy, sad, or angry, there was enough emotion to still feel for whatever was happening.

Overall, take some grace with this one. I personally don't see myself watching this one again anytime soon as it didn't elicit anything personal inside of me. Lots of reviews are giving it a 7+ so take that as you will. It's not a trash movie. It just doesn't hit the spot like a biopic and "The Iron Claw" should and did.

That's it for now. Thanks for taking time to read my review. Happy watching and enjoy the show!

• Rating: 7/10
• Watched on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 (first watch)
• Format: regular theatre

I really enjoyed how raw and authentic this movie feels, so much so that at times it feels more like a documentary than a film. The cinematography is framed to capture every moment, especially the fight sequences, in a way that makes you feel as if you're right there in the arena, weaving through the crowd to get a glimpse of the action.

This is easily Dwayne Johnson's best acting performance. Nothing more needs to be said. Emily Blunt and Johnson also share great chemistry, which makes their portrayal of a fighting and complicated couple feel believable. Casting the two of them together was a brilliant choice.

That said, the story itself felt like it was missing something. Even though it's based on a true story, which naturally limits how much can be changed or dramatized, it didn't quite work as a fully fleshed-out narrative. It almost felt like the film was less about telling a story and more about recognizing Mike Kerr and his influence, which is admirable but didn't fully land as a movie. That's why it felt like there was lots of filler sequences that had nothing happening in them that would push the plot somewhere or benefit the plot somehow.

On the other hand, the jazzy, drum-heavy soundtrack was a fantastic choice. It reminded me of Spencer (2021) in the way it mirrored and enhanced the protagonist's emotions, calm yet angry, distracted yet driven, slow yet fast-paced.

This movie was so slow. I struggled to get into it. Half the fights were cut out, not sure why. You can try to see what the movie was trying to do, but execution was horrible. I don't see why the Rock playing a fighter is considered a huge acting lift.

Save your money and wait for streaming to be disappointed.