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Benny Safdie and Dwayne Johnson make for the most unlikely but welcome director-actor pairing of the year, and the latter gives a performance that not only transforms him on screen, but his image for audiences. The massive movie star persona we're used to from him completely disappears and Johnson becomes one with Mark Kerr, the MMA fighter he plays in the film. Kerr is incredibly ferocious and determined, but sees losing as a non-option and can't quite cope with the idea of it, even when it's bound to happen for all athletes. Emily Blunt is also phenomenal as Dawn, Kerr's girlfriend, matching his anger and desire to be heard in many great scenes.
The Smashing Machine, thanks to Safdie's brilliant directions, captures a feel beyond that of a three-act screenplay with actors reading dialogue, but rather feels like you're merely a fly on the wall inhabiting and moving through this space with the characters as you get to know them deeply and intimately. One of the beautiful things the film captures is the community MMA builds, with players training together and bonding as friends who feel like family to one another, even when there's a chance they may face each other in the ring. It also has wrestling scenes that put many other films to shame, that are captivating even when the camera is hardly filming from inside the ring. It's a movie so gripping you won't realize how quick the runtime has flown by, winding up a lesser known and scale but still strong success story that's expertly put together for 2 hours that demand your full attention.
4.5/5
Review by: Gal Balaban