In A24’s The Smashing Machine, many stories are told in some of Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt’s strongest acting roles yet.
Johnson plays the role of Mark Kerr- one of the revolutionaries and founding fathers of MMA fighting while Blunt plays Dawn Staples- Kerr’s girlfriend with whom he shares a very volatile, up-and-down relationship with throughout the film.
Kerr was the most dominant fighter in MMA in the late 90’s and took his talents to Japan’s Pride, which is where things started going downhill for him, where he suffered his first no-contest in the first fight he did not win. From here, he starts battling numerous demons and things start to unravel, leading to him nearly dying from a drug overdose, and we watch Kerr’s journey from rock bottom back to the top.
The Smashing Machine is a different type of role for Johnson, who channels some of the deepest emotion of his career, showing true vulnerability and making you really feel while you watch.
Johnson’s transformation into Kerr goes much further than the unbelievable physical changes. Johnson goes as far as changing his speech delivery to even speak the same way Kerr speaks.
The attention to detail in this movie is unreal and the fact that they used real MMA fighters, boxers and wrestlers in the film really pays off; They even shoot the backstage scenes like a backstage documentary.
If you aren’t an MMA fan, there’ s a lot in this movie for you, too. This is much more than just an MMA and fighting movie. They tell stories about friendship, sobriety, mental health, relationships, overcoming trials and tribulations, redemption and more.
While we’re used to stunning performances by Blunt, Johnson really shines in The Smashing Machine and this is the performance of his career.
Rating: 9.5/10
-Reggie Edwards