The Smashing Machine (2025) [Movie Review]: Benny Safdie’s Anti-Biopic Anchored by Dwayne Johnson

The Smashing Machine is a deliberate, off-beat sports biopic that resists the usual uplift. Benny Safdie directs and writes a film that favors observation over catharsis, turning Mark Kerr’s rise and struggles into a stylized, sometimes distancing study rather than a crowd-pleasing rags-to-glory narrative.

The Approach — An anti-biopic in form

Safdie deliberately keeps the camera at arm’s length: many fight scenes are framed through ropes or from afar, and the editing emphasizes reportage over immersion. The film feels more like a vérité experiment with scripted beats — a hybrid that constantly reminds you you’re watching a constructed piece of cinema rather than trying to erase the seams.

Performance & Casting — The core that holds it together

Dwayne Johnson anchors the film with a surprisingly restrained turn as Kerr, leaning into quietness and volatility rather than bravura. He frequently cedes the spotlight to the mundanity of Kerr’s life, which makes his explosive moments hit harder. Emily Blunt provides a textured, enabling presence as Dawn, while supporting cameos from real MMA figures blur documentary and drama in productive ways.

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Strengths — Where the film truly lands

Safdie’s risk-taking pays off in tone and texture. The film’s musical choices — pop/rock overlays and a jazzy undercurrent — create a persistent commentary on spectacle. Cinematography and production design convincingly evoke late-90s MMA’s rough edges. The decision to include real fighters and archival echoes gives the film a lived-in authenticity that many sports dramas miss.

Shortcomings — When the experiment falters

Because Safdie strips away many conventional biopic anchors — detailed training montages, clear emotional throughlines, procedural scaffolding — the movie sometimes lacks explanatory depth. Viewers unfamiliar with Kerr or early MMA may find the narrative thin; the late-act emotional beats can feel undernourished. Some stylistic choices (heavy makeup, detached fight coverage) underline the film’s concept but occasionally distance the audience too much.

Technical Craft — Style that serves (and provokes)

Maceo Bishop’s intimate camera work and Safdie’s tight editing create a documentary texture that complements the film’s thesis. The soundscape and score repeatedly nudge viewers into reflexive viewing — a bold move that both defines the film and limits its emotive sweep.

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Final Take — For cinephiles more than sports fans

The Smashing Machine is an ambitious, provocative rethinking of the sports biopic. It won’t satisfy every fight-film fan looking for immersion or emotional payoff, but as a formal experiment anchored by a committed Dwayne Johnson performance and Safdie’s fearless choices, it’s a compelling, thought-provoking watch.

Rating: 7 / 10 — Benny Safdie’s anti-biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, starring Dwayne Johnson.