The Smashing Machine review
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Oleksandr Usyk, Bas Rutten
Director: Benny Safdie
Rating: ★★★★
Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine is as much a celebration of MMA legend Mark Kerr’s life as it is a diatribe on our obsession with phoenix-from-the-ashes stories from the world of sports. In this slow-burn, there is no promise of a happy ending. There is no rousing montage where the hero finds his mojo again, and no slow-mo shots of the fights. The Smashing Machine is as far removed from the world of Rocky and Warrior as a film on combat sports can be. But therein lies Benny Safdie’s genius. This film is about a man battling his demons. The setting is incidental. This is Mark Kerr’s life unfiltered, both inside and outside the octagon. Aided by brilliant performances from Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, it makes for an engaging watch despite its sluggish pace.
What is The Smashing Machine about
The film is the story of Mark Kerr, one of the early MMA fighters, and how he fared in the UFC and Japan in a period from 1997-2000. The film picks up as Mark loses his first bout, before recovering to win big in Japan. But back home, his relationship is disintegrating, and a drug problem is threatening to do the same to his career.
The first thing that strikes you in The Striking Machine is how stripped of drama it is, an unusual choice in a film about a sportsperson. The film dons the garb of a documentary, almost as if Safdie lounged in Mark Kerr’s house with a camera with no script. The drama exists in the things that happen to Mark, not in how they are presented.
At long last – Dwayne Johnson, the actor
The film is intimate, which is evident in the choice of close-ups, minimal background score, and realistic sound design. Dwayne Johnson elevates it with arguably his career-best performance. Not since his turn as a prison warden in Grid Iron Gang almost two decades ago has the actor even attempted to put his acting skills to use. Many had wondered if he even had any. But they are there. In a role that is devoid of charm, Dwayne sacrifices his trademark smile and loses himself in the persona of Mark Kerr. The makeup and prosthetics help, but it’s the 53-year-old who punches above his weight, making the man and the athlete believable and likeable. His emotional transformation deserves as much praise as the physical one he underwent to look like Kerr.
Emily Blunt plays Dawn Staples, Kerr’s girlfriend (and later wife), and she is his true sparring partner and opponent in the film. The ease with which the actor triggers the audience with Dawn’s volatility and toxicity beggars belief. Dwayne and Emily bring their A-game as they showcase just how co-dependent a toxic couple can be in this Marriage Story-meets-Rocky scenario. Emily’s loud-yet-complementary performances is easily one of the best of the year.
Movie Review
The Smashing Machine
A biopic of MMA legend Mark Kerr, the film chronicles his life and career from 1997-2000, particularly his battle against drugs, and personal life.
Cast
Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Oleksandr Usyk
Verdict
Dwayne Johnson delivers a career-best performance, and Emily Blunt proves to be a worthy foil in this slow-yet-engaging film from Benny Safdie.
To sum it up
The Smashing Machine never wants to be an entertaining film. Its fate at the box office globally is enough indication of that. Benny Safdie’s intent is to tell a story that has almost been stripped bare, reduced to just plain emotions, without any embellishments. But there are moments when the film threatens to be a sports drama, and the sound design is the chief culprit there. The thud of every punch and crack of every bone reverberates in the theatre, making you feel like you are right there ringside as these insane men put their lives on the line. The background score, when it shows up, does its job and how.
The Smashing Machine frustrates you with its pace, triggers you with the depiction of Kerr’s personal life, but the end, still manages to make you feel for this man and the several like him – the lost pioneers of the 21st century. It is an ode to those unsung heroes as much as it is a celebration (or maybe indictment) of Mark Kerr’s passion.
