The Smashing Machine Review
Everyone, including myself, found it hard to believe that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could ever pull off a heavy dramatic role. Given how most of Johnson’s career consisted of either explosive action films to the occasional lighthearted comedy to, yes, Black Adam, I couldn’t see him in such a position. So, when it was announced that he’d be starring alongside Emily Blunt in Benny Safdie’s latest outing with The Smashing Machine, I’ll admit I was intrigued. However, after seeing it myself, Johnson’s performance managed to do the impossible: captivate me.
The Smashing Machine is what you’d get from any sports biopic, following the trials and tribulations of real life MMA fighter Mark Kerr (Johnson). With a wedge driven between his love of the game and his actual love life, Dawn (Emily Blunt), Kerr faces difficult odds while dealing with his own addiction problems. However, as the intensity heats up throughout the Pride 7 global tournament, the challenges Kerr must confront, both physical and personal, rack up on his shoulders.
It should go without saying that it truly feels liberating watching Johnson get out of his performative comfort zone. With this film, he’s not putting on an overconfident facade of energetic bravado, but a nearly authentic and sensible performance. It’s clear that Johnson knows the importance of Kerr’s real life experience and it really does feel like he captures that need of appreciation and love nicely.
However, in those moments of personal conflict and arguing, Johnson’s act legitimately makes you terrified. The motivations between Kerr and Dawn are easily understood, but to see both of them lashing out at each other through Johnson and Blunt’s takes is truly something else. Furthermore, the way that Safdie shoots these moments through painful close-ups and shaky movements will truly make you gasp in a good way.
The chemistry between Johnson and Blunt throughout The Smashing Machine is also much better put here. Sure, the last film that they were together was Jungle Cruise, so the comparison isn’t fair. However, Blunt really does her best to make Dawn an empathetic character despite her vicious cycle to please Kerr. Although, in some conversational moments, the emotional weight doesn’t feel like it’s there, which might be due to how “in the details” some of these things are.
Aside from the performances, Safdie’s directorial vision really shines through, both through the cinematography and the soundtrack. Safdie utilizes so many different film formats, from 65mm to 16mm, to really make you engaged with this film’s entire world. There’s this uniqueness when it comes to utilizing these formats, which is accentuated by Maceo Bishop’s great camerawork that gives a personality to nearly every shot. In a way, it almost makes you feel like it’s a documentary, so when it switches to digital later on, it feels perfectly jarring.
The Smashing Machine’s cinematography goes wonderfully hand-in-hand with the music from Nala Sinephro, which adds this surreal, psychedelic element to the film. It adds its own emphasis, using subtle synthesizers to make you realize how stressed Kerr’s life actually is. Sinephro’s soundwork almost works in this manner that pulls you into Kerr’s perspective as the ringing and bass-inducive tones centralize the audience’s view. In the more combative, one-on-one fights, the sound design and camerawork, as always, helps maintain the film’s tension in an almost psychological way.
As for The Smashing Machine’s story, the narrative can be easily read as it pulls on recognizable tropes. It’s all about addiction, redemption, and mending old relationships through its positive beginnings and shaky endings. This does mean it plays out the distant relationship dynamic between Kerr and Dawn in moments that are emphasized to pull on your heartstrings.
Although, for those who don’t know about Kerr’s actual career, it’s not really about getting the popular win, but rather dealing with interpersonal drama. As such, the story might not have that ending some might expect with other related biopics, but it doesn’t need to. It just needs to give you that satisfying mood with a hopeful conclusion.
All in all, The Smashing Machine is Benny Safdie’s finest work, captivating you through The Rock’s extraordinary performance and inspired cinematography despite hitting familiar beats of the sports biopic form. Given how this film did change my perspective on Johnson’s future acting career, I do hope this means that he’ll be able to embrace a higher calling similarly to other wrestlers like John Cena and Dave Bautista. If one thing’s for certain with The Smashing Machine, it’s the outlook that The Rock being a powerhouse for more compelling stories is more positive than ever.
The Smashing Machine releases in theaters on October 3.
Rating: ★★★★
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.