After several battles in supernatural and bombastic spaces over the last decade Dwayne Johnson now plays a character fighting on a much smaller scale.
In this biopic, Johnson stars as Mark Kerr, an athlete who leveraged his success in college and amateur wrestling into a fighting career. After some initial smaller wins, his abilities attracted promotions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Championships.
The film follows a portion of his career, mostly from about 1998-2001, and in the process, shows the ups and downs in his life. While he had success in combat sports, Kerr also struggled with an opioid addiction and a turbulent relationship with girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt).
Before becoming a narrative feature film, “The Smashing Machine” was a 2002 documentary. All things considered, perhaps it should have just stayed that way. Now, that sounds a bit harsh, and in all fairness, it’s not that the film is bad by any means. It’s a fine sports biopic, but it’s more underwhelming than overachieving.
Perhaps the main issue of “The Smashing Machine” is that we rarely get insight into what makes Kerr’s story extraordinary. Yes, he achieved some success as a mixed martial artist and faced adversity in his life. That can in fact make for some engaging cinema.
Presenting that story via documentary format can dig into the gritty intricacies of those real life moments without falling into cliche trappings. It’s a great way to shed light on a fighter who had a big impact on MMA, especially if he’s not as well known compared to the likes of Royce Gracie or Ken Shamrock.
But put into a narrative format, it feels like the film just meandering through a four-year portion of the athlete’s life. It lacks that documentary authenticity, and doesn’t have much else to pick up the slack. It simply lacks the dramatic complexity of something like 2010’s “The Fighter,” or the strong artistry of 1980’s “Raging Bull,” both also based on real combat sports figures.
Again, this review is coming down hard on a movie that doesn’t quite do anything egregiously wrong. It’s fairly well made, with some captivating scenes inside the ring as Kerr does battle. Although outside of the ring, some of scenes seem shot in a handheld format to appear more raw, but it feels a bit out of place in the dramatic sequences.
Those scenes themselves are compelling sometimes. While one wishes the relationship between Mark and Dawn was more fleshed out, as it seems like the audience only gets bits and pieces of a more complicated couple’s story, a few sequences are genuinely moving.
Acting-wise, Blunt, an Academy Award nominee, is doing heavy lifting in her role, making the most out of the material to portray a woman in a rocky relationship with her own hardships. Johnson is also doing some career-best work in showing his character’s charm, heart and flaws, the latter especially coming with his struggles with addiction.
“The Smashing Machine” isn’t quite the award contender it was being pitched as. Story-wise, it’s fine, but not defining, and the filmmaking style, while sometimes creative, isn’t groundbreaking. However, it still offers enough of an interesting character study, features strong performances and, for fans of MMA, is a good look into the early part of the sport. 3.35 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 