'The Smashing Machine' Movie Review: Dwayne Johnson delivers a knockout performance in Benny Safdie’s slow-burning biographical sports drama

Star cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk

Director: Benny Safdie

After over two decades of HBO’s documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr (2002), Benny Safdie re-narrates the story of the MMA legend with Dwayne Johnson stepping into the shoes and amazes with his serious acting.

The movie narrates Kerr’s peak period from 1997-2000, where he becomes invincible and also addicted to injectable painkillers. From being the pioneer of MMA to a roaring comeback, Safdie’s version is immersive with a slow-burning narrative and impeccable technical aspects.

Dwayne Johnson, who is generally known for making out-and-out commercial, aka popcorn outings like Black Adam, Fast & Furious and Jumanji, delivers a knockout and poignant performance in The Smashing Machine and has all the potential to garner a nomination in the upcoming Academy Awards.

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Emily Blunt as Kerr’s thoughtless and dependent girlfriend and later wife, Dawn Staples-Kerr, gives an impeccable performance as the psychological dynamics and bittersweet bond between them are undoubtedly one of the engaging parts of the film’s screenplay. Ryan Bader as Kerr’s rival-turned-coach, Mark Coleman, brings out the authenticity on the screen, and his camaraderie with Johnson looks organic and enjoyable.

Apart from performances and direction, the emotional dialogues in The Smashing Machines, like Dawn saying, “I think I miss taking care of him,” to her friend and Mark uttering, “A day without pain is a day without sunshine”, leave a lasting impact.

While Benny takes his own sweet time to build the atmosphere, he aptly and subtly conveys how life outside the ring is not easier than life inside the ring for a wrestler.

On the whole, The Smashing Machine is a classic biographical sports drama which deserves an audience.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

‘The Smashing Machine’ will release on 10th October