The Smashing Machine Review

Dwayne Johnson has always been typecast for his action and adventure roles and has been compared to other wrestler-turned actors like John Cena and Bautista for a number of years. It was only a matter of time that the action star followed his fellow wrestlers to take on a more serious role. That role comes in the form of The Smashing Machine.

Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine (2025)

The Smashing Machine is a biographical sports drama about MMA fighter Mark Kerr and a very specific time in his life between the years of 1997–2000. This period was his rise to fame in the mixed martial arts world and his involvement in the Japanese Pride fights, which would eventually set the stage for the formation of UFC around the world.

Off the mat, most of Mark's interactions are with his girlfriend, Dawn, played by Emily Blunt. To nobody's surprise, they have great chemistry together which is expected based on their prior work experience together. Mark and Dawn go through many relationship issues due to drug use and Mark's rise to fame in Japan. Dwayne and Emily deliver many emotionally driven character moments and it is visible they gave it their all to the roles.

There are a few moments in the film that feel a bit repetitive, especially with their arguments, but that is one of many writing issues and not the fault of the stars.

Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine

Written and directed by Benny Safdie, best known for Uncut Gems, takes on a biopic for his solo directorial debut. My biggest issues with the film are its pacing and dialogue. The pacing issues lie in the repetition in the story between Mark and Dawn who constantly argue, but most of their arguments feel the same and their dialogue is often very one dimensional. Another issue I have with the dialogue is very small but I cannot get it out of my head. It is the fact that in four different moments in the film, “super” was used as a descriptive word. Super has become more widely used over the past five–ten years in this way and I really doubt it was used this much in the ’90s.

The Smashing Machine is definitely Dwayne Johnson's first shot at an Oscar; from his dramatic performance to his dedication to the role with his physical transformation. Regardless of box office results, it will change how people see him as an actor moving forward.

Rating: ★★★

Review by: Stefano Bove

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