Writer/Director Benny Safdie has given a new look to the genre with “The Smashing Machine” which shows the true story of early M.M.A. fighter Mark Kerr.
Kerr (Dwayne Johnson), is a former wrestler who uses his size and power to dominate the sport. He frequently competes in Japan and lives with his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt), in Arizona in the late 90s and early 2000s.
The movie chronicles his exploits in the ring using a mix of documentary style filming combined with character drama that focuses on his friendship with Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader), and his at times troubled relationship with Dawn.
Mark despite his success has become addicted to Opiates and this drives a wedge between him and Dawn and magnifies her own insecurities and issues.
When Mark faces career struggles and attempts to clean up his life; his sobriety takes a toll on his relationship with Dawn and complicates things even more.
The moments in the ring are effective and at times brutal as they underscore the violent nature of the sport but are actually not the focus of the film as it is about the characters and their relationships with one another.
We were fortunate to have the real Mark and Dawn at our screening as well as some of the cast and it was great to be able to meet the man behind the story as it is at the core a story about real people overcoming challenges that most of us do not face.
The performance by Johnson was career-defining as he became his character and was sympathetic and engaging throughout. Blunt was so immersed that it was hard to believe it was her at times as she so perfectly captured the look that she became the character.
The film kept me engaged as it did not rely on the big match stereotypes to propel the story but was confident to let the leads take control and they delivered a gripping and memorable film that will go down as one of the greatest sports Biopics ever.
4 stars out of 5
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