The Smashing Machine
classified 15Please note: This was screened in Oct 2025
Director Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) teams up with Dwayne Johnson for this powerful and gritty account of the career of pioneering MMA and UFC fighter Mark Kerr.
Johnson delivers a knockout performance as Kerr, who we follow over three physically and emotionally bruising years in the late '90s. He endures a tempestuous relationship with girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt), a friendly rivalry with fellow brawler Mark (real-life MMA fighter Ryan Bader), and has an ongoing struggle with an addiction to painkillers. When he loses his first ever fight, everything begins to unravel...
Safdie picked up the Silver Lion for Best Director earlier this year in Venice - don't be surprised if Johnson enters the ring of Oscar® nominations for Best Actor in a few months. The Smashing Machine (Kerr's nickname in Japan) packs one hell of an emotional gut punch, and you'll never look at Dwayne Johnson in the same way ever again...