I’ll kick things off by declaring that over the past few years, I’ve become a Dwayne Johnson hater. He’s a charming action star, to be sure, but has also made some bad film choices, has showcased limited range, is way too over-saturated, and off-screen has an ego image problem. But I don’t hold grudges and welcome Hollywood redemption arcs. In A24’s Mark Kerr UFC biopic, The Smashing Machine, written and directed by Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems), Johnson is so good. In the awards conversation good.
He’s the most vulnerable and explosively emotional he’s ever been. The breadth and depth of character nuance he displays keeps your eyes glued to the screen as he battles personal and professional tragedies and triumphs. He really can act when in the hands of the right filmmaker.
Speaking of filmmakers, I’ve been a Benny Safdie fan since Good Time (2017) back when he was a directing duo with his brother, Josh. Not to mention developing a lovely professional mentor/mentee bromance with Christopher Nolan after Oppenheimer. Now branching off to do his own thing with sole writing and directing credits, Safdie proves he has full command of the end-to-end craft in filmmaking.
The cinematgraophy is intimate and gritty. The shot direction makes it feel like an indie documentary, which unlocks a level of authenticity in telling the true story of Kerr’s life. There are striking continuous shots that take their time to allow the scene to fully form in real-time. It’s much more visually engaging than your average sports drama/biopic, which will surely make its memory last longer than the norm.
But with all the distinctive elemental execution Safdie puts on screen, the film is still handcuffed to the formulaic beats of the sports biopic. Safdie does a good job avoiding fatigue with these familiar beats by hyper-focusing the story on Kerr’s fraught personal relationship with his girlfriend, Dawn, played masterfully by Emily Blunt. Johnson & Blunt’s chemistry is what drives the film. Each are given opportunities to chew up scenery.
Given the film’s title, The Smashing Machine, I was a little miffed by the restraint Safdie displays in showcasing the brutality of MMA. Especially since Kerr’s primary struggle is with opiod addiction to dull the beatings he takes. But the holistic quality of the film and the resulting entertainment it yields, makes this film absolutely worth your while.
