"The Smashing Machine" Pulls Its Punches

"The Smashing Machine, which Safdie both wrote and directed, portrays Mark (the character, as distinguished from the real-life Kerr) from the time of his first bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, in 1997, to 2000. The period begins with victories and growing fame-though his achievements are shadowed and threatened by substance-abuse issues and conflict with his girlfriend, Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt)-and peters out with his climactic defeat in a big-money tournament that owes its high financial stakes to his earlier success."

"Safdie's approach to the story is divided against itself: as a writer, he takes an analytical view, creating scenes that clearly exemplify the fighter's powers and troubles and the personality traits that contribute to both; but he films the story with loose documentary-like sequences and large-scale spectacle, neither of which matches the script's expressive precision."

"Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson has long been in my private pantheon of actors who are awaiting their showcase, ever since his performance in Michael Bay's " Pain & Gain," from 2013. Since then, Johnson has piled hit atop hit without stretching his artistry; now, in the title role of "The Smashing Machine," Benny Safdie's bio-pic about the former mixed-martial-arts star Mark Kerr, Johnson does the substantial work of bringing a noteworthy character to life, by infusing the role with his own expansive personality-perhaps unsurprisingly, given his background as a professional wrestler."

Dwayne Johnson delivers a commanding central performance as Mark, infusing the role with charismatic flair and emotional weight. The film traces Mark's arc from his 1997 UFC debut through 2000, showing victories, rising fame, substance-abuse struggles, and conflict with his girlfriend, Dawn Staples, before a climactic defeat in a high-stakes tournament. Benny Safdie both wrote and directed the piece. The screenplay takes an analytical, precise view of the fighter's strengths and flaws, while the filmmaking alternates between loose documentary-like sequences and spectacle, creating a mismatch that Johnson’s acting helps to bridge.

Read at The New Yorker