The Smashing Machine

In one of the year’s most surprising pairings, Dwayne Johnson and indie icon Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems, TIFF ’19) team up in The Smashing Machine, the powerful story of pioneering mixed martial arts/UFC fighter Mark Kerr. Kerr helped grow the sport’s popularity in its early days, but the fights’ brutal demands took a toll, eventually leading to painkiller addiction. The constant need to travel, since the most lucrative early matches were always in Japan, didn’t help either.

Superficially, Safdie and his star seem to be playing against expectations, but once you dig deeper there are clear career through lines. Johnson is, of course, known for the humour he brings to action films. A similar schism is evident in Kerr’s soft-spoken manner. He was gigantic, but his demeanour belied the intense furor of the sport. Johnson gives an eye-opening performance, abetted by Emily Blunt as Dawn, Kerr’s devoted partner, tormented by the price he pays.

The story is told in a quasi-documentary style, reminiscent of the hyperrealistic approach of the Safdie brothers’ groundbreaking Good Time and Uncut Gems. And all of the actors enthusiastically buy into the documentary tone. That sense of realism is buoyed by the presence of a slew of MMA legends like Bas Rutten and Ryan Bader, and there’s even a cameo from Kerr himself.

But perhaps the film’s greatest virtue is the way it upends the well-worn, familiar conventions of its genre. In its grit, its documentary feel, and its raw honesty, The Smashing Machine is a sports film unlike any other.

ROBYN CITIZEN