"The Smashing Machine is, at its heart, an old-school boxing movie transplanted to the relatively recent discipline of mixed martial arts. (For those who don't keep up with the fight game, MMA basically allows combatants to introduce techniques from whatever martial art they think will help them win-not only boxing but wrestling, karate, capoeira, jujitsu, kung-fu, kickboxing, sumo, and more.)"
"The sport may be relatively new, but the film's narrative is traditional, relying on a Raging Bull, vulnerable-champ-on-the-way-down trope as opposed to the genre's alternative Rocky-like plucky-underdog-on-the-way-up story path. The champ in question is Mark Kerr, a former college wrestler who became an early star of the MMA scene due to his willingness to inflict and endure pain. But he is brought down by an addiction to pain killers, as well as increasing consumption of alcohol and a co-dependent relationship with his girlfriend."
The Smashing Machine frames mixed martial arts as a setting for an old-school boxing-style narrative, emphasizing brutal, visceral fights. The plot follows Mark Kerr, a former college wrestler and early MMA star, who rises through willingness to inflict and endure pain and then declines due to painkiller addiction, escalating alcohol use, and a co-dependent relationship with his girlfriend. The movie won a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, aligning with prior festival recognition of similar wrestler-downfall stories. Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson portrays Kerr, trained by Kerr and other MMA fighters to ensure realistic fight choreography.
Read at Slate Magazine
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