‘Smashing Machine’ a solid sports biography
Published 12:50 pm Friday, October 3, 2025
This image released by A24 shows Dwayne Johnson in a scene from “The Smashing Machine.” (A24 via AP)
“The Smashing Machine” is exactly what you would expect watching a former WWE wrestling superstar portray a mixed martial arts pioneer.
Built as a showcase for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who also serves as a producer, “Smashing Machine” is a solid little snapshot that hits all the right notes, but never quite digs under the surface.
What we see on the screen is intriguing enough to be worth your time, but it could have hit another level if “Machine” was a little deeper.
Johnson plays Mark Kerr, a high school state wrestling champion who competed in the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Set during a three-year period from 1997-2000, we see Kerr’s rise in the sport, his relationships with his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt) and close friend and fellow fighter Mark Coleman (played by former UFC fighter Ryan Bader).
Kerr’s relationship with Dawn is anything but smooth, further complicated by his growing addiction to pain killers.
Writer/directed Benny Safdie and Johnson clearly have a lot of affection, not just for Kerr but MMA, and their love for the subject shows on the screen. This is a carefully crafted bio picture, that stays true to the sports movie formula and successfully checks all the boxes as the story progresses.
Johnson, at times barely recognizable, does an admirable job in perhaps the best performance of his career. He’s already proven to be a reliable action and comedy star, but “Smashing Machine” shows that Johnson has a future as a dramatic actor in the right roles. He’s received some early awards buzz, which I think may be a little too much — but I still appreciate the time and effort he put into his work here. It shows on the screen.
Blunt is solid too, even if her character feels a little underdeveloped at times, but it’s Bader that becomes the film’s biggest surprise. Bader has such a natural screen presence that I would love to see him tackle more projects in the future.
It all works well enough with a good cast, but “Smashing Machine” is a film that feels like it could have been more. I wish Safdie would have explored the drug addiction and the toxic relationship between Kerr and Dawn a little more than the final product, giving Johnson and the rest of the cast a little more muscle in the script.
As is this is a film that fans of Johnson, Kerr and MMA will appreciate, which is enough to make it worth the time. For those looking for an awards contender however, this might not hit the spot quite like you hope.
If You Go
“The Smashing Machine”
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt
Directed by: Bennie Safdie
Rating: R for language and some drug use
Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow)
Grade: B-
About Micheal Compton
I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.
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