The story of mixed-martial arts and UFC champion, Mark Kerr.

‘The Smashing Machine’ is Benny Safdie’s first film as a director without his brother Josh, and it stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in a leading performance that has already attracted some awards attention. In the film, Johnson plays Mark Kerr, an early pioneer in the sport that is now commonly known as UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), following him over a 3-year spell in the late 90s as he attempts to become world champion while dealing with addiction issues and relationship troubles. It may be about UFC and not Boxing, but it has all the trappings of your classic Boxing drama, of which we’ve seen many of over the years.

Beginning in 1999, the film follows Kerr as he attempts to juggle his professional and personal lives, with his professional career taking him over to Japan regularly and requiring long bouts of extended training and abstinence from substances – something he has struggled with in the past. This causes clashes between Mark and his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt), who enjoys a more hedonistic lifestyle, has issues with Mark’s priorities and his lack of interest in having children. Their relationship could be described as volatile and we see regular fights. The supporting cast is largely made up of former and current MMA fighters or boxers (such as current heavyweight world boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk), and they add some authenticity to the fight sequences.

The best part about ‘The Smashing Machine’ is undoubtedly the performances and there is no doubt that Johnson has put everything into this part, after a post-wrestling acting career that has been heavily focused on action and comedy. This is a rare dramatic part and he is very good, delivering a more nuanced performance than many would have thought he was capable of, while Blunt is reliably good as Dawn, who isn’t without her own troubles to seek. I also really liked the soundtrack, with Safdie’s indie credentials shining through in some of the artists and tracks he’s chosen to play alongside some of the key moments (a Bruce Springsteen needle drop in particular is really good).

Besides the strong performances though (and the great soundtrack), this is a fairly average and slightly disappointing movie, largely as Kerr’s story just isn’t all that interesting or original for someone in his field, and we’ve seen similar stories of boxers/fighters struggling with personal demons in the past in far more impressive movies. ‘The Smashing Machine’ is a solid vehicle for Dwayne Johnson to show a different side to his acting from his ‘The Rock’ persona, but there’s not enough meat on the bones here for this to stand up alongside the finer movies in this well-trodden genre.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Benny Safdie

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt11214558/