Report: The Film, Its Release, and Reception
Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine debuted at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2025, and immediately set the tone as one of the most talked-about premieres of the year. Produced by A24, Seven Bucks Productions, and Out for the Count, the film adapts the turbulent real life of MMA pioneer Mark Kerr, who rose to fame in the late 1990s UFC era.
Dwayne Johnson takes on the role of Kerr in what critics are calling a career-defining performance. Shedding his Hollywood action-hero persona, Johnson undergoes a drastic physical transformation with the help of prosthetics and weight loss, and delivers a raw, vulnerable portrayal of an athlete both celebrated and broken. Opposite him, Emily Blunt stars as Dawn Staples-Kerr, Kerr’s on-again, off-again partner, whose presence anchors the emotional core of the narrative.
Shot partly on 16mm and 70mm IMAX film, Safdie crafts an unflinching, almost documentary-like vision of Kerr’s world, weaving together the adrenaline of the cage, the dark spiral of opioid addiction, and the fragility of his personal relationships. The film received a 15-minute standing ovation in Venice, leaving Johnson in tears, and has already sparked early Oscar buzz for both him and Blunt.
Theatrical release is set for October 3, 2025 worldwide.
Review: A Raw and Unrecognizable Rock
The Smashing Machine is not just another sports biopic; it’s a study of pain, masculinity, and survival. Safdie, known for his frenetic realism in Uncut Gems, strips away the gloss of UFC spectacle to show the body and mind of an athlete consumed by both triumph and trauma.
Johnson’s transformation is the film’s revelation. For perhaps the first time in his career, he disappears into a role. His Mark Kerr is not “The Rock” the entertainer, but a man burdened by pressure, numbed by painkillers, and desperate to keep love alive while battling his own self-destruction. Johnson is bruised, bloated, fragile and utterly convincing.
Emily Blunt is equally compelling. As Dawn, she brings empathy and sharp edges, refusing to be a one-note “supportive partner.” Their volatile relationship carries the film’s emotional weight, often more gripping than the fights themselves.
Stylistically, Safdie opts for a grainy, immersive aesthetic—blood, sweat, and needle marks are shown with uncomfortable intimacy. The fight sequences aren’t staged as crowd-pleasers; they’re brutal, exhausting, and at times difficult to watch, underscoring the toll on Kerr’s body and psyche.
At its best, The Smashing Machine recalls Raging Bull and The Wrestler but instead of glamorizing combat, it portrays the UFC’s early days as chaotic, lawless, and exploitative. Safdie’s pacing occasionally lingers too long on Kerr’s spirals, but this indulgence also mirrors the suffocating cycle of addiction.
The Smashing Machine is a career reset for Dwayne Johnson, a role that proves he can be more than a blockbuster icon. Benny Safdie delivers a film that is brutal, tender, and unrelenting in its honesty. It’s not a movie about winning fights; it’s a movie about losing oneself, and maybe clawing back fragments of humanity along the way.