Boxing is an inherently cinematic format, a sport where one man or woman puts their mind and body on the line in a quest for glory. Mixed martial arts cranks the sport and its stakes up exponentially, and writer-director Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine spares nothing to show the inherent brutality and all its costs. Here is a sport where blood, sweat, tears, and a broken bone or two literally comes with the territory. But it takes more than raw physicality to make an enduring MMA film, and it requires a deeper story worth telling to break the mold of the typical sports drama.

Most might see Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s sudden pivot from blockbuster action schlock to arthouse drama as a desperate way to prove himself as an actor. If this is indeed the case, The Smashing Machine is the ideal vehicle to do so. Of course, Johnson’s first career was as a professional wrestler, and though the WWE and UFC share the same DNA in celebrating violence, the former has a long history of staged theatricality. Johnson’s performance as Mark Kerr, an up-and-coming star in the ultimate fighting world, is reason enough to see the film, and a hopeful turn towards more worthwhile roles. Beyond the obviously physical nature of the film, Johnson brings life and depth to a character that’s sadly missing from the screenplay.

Safdie, working for the first time without his brother Josh, focuses mostly on Kerr’s life as he’s making his way through the UFC’s minor league, the Japanese Prime league, from 1997-2000. We first begin to see Kerr’s rise from fights in what appear to be basements or high school gymnasiums, to larger arenas with big, enthusiastic crowds and money on the line. Through it all, Kerr has an up and down relationship with his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt), and a friendship with fellow wrestler Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader).

All of these elements could easily combine into a propulsive, if conventional, sports drama. But The Smashing Machine feels hamstrung by the real-life story (which was previously depicted in the documentary of the same name in 2002). Kerr was one of the greats of the sport at the time, and helped pave the way for where UFC is now, but he was never a champion, nor did he win any major awards during the period depicted. Most of the drama within the film comes from Kerr’s addiction to painkillers/steroids and how it affects his mental and physical health, but he quickly enters rehab and works back towards his place in the ring. Safdie’s biggest issue is in Dawn – not in Blunt’s portrayal of her, to be clear – and her stock characterization as little more than a problematic girlfriend. In one moment, she’s supportive, and in the other, she’s antagonizing him for being sober. It feels as though Safdie never truly got a hold on who she is, or how their relationship fits within Kerr’s greater narrative.

If anything, The Smashing Machine could have benefited more from focusing on Kerr’s relationship with Coleman, and their friendly rivalry. Instead, Coleman appears as little more than a supportive friend, who Kerr would prefer to turn to for guidance before Dawn. Their friendship is so deep that Coleman drops everything, including his wife and kids, to be with Kerr once he reaches his low point with substance abuse.

Together, Benny and Josh Safdie have made incredible films like Uncut Gems and Good Time, but 2025 will see the beginning of their separate projects. I don’t think The Smashing Machine is a harbinger of bad things to come, nor do I think it was a mistake for the two to split. Strangely, the film feels like a first-time director still feeling things out and trying to find the right story. Thankfully Safdie’s directorial flourishes remain intact and the fight sequences, though too infrequent for my liking, are necessarily visceral and occasionally upsetting. The film may not be the knockout that fans of Safdie and Johnson are hoping for, but The Smashing Machine feels kind of similar to Kerr’s journey throughout the film: searching for greatness but falling just short of it.

The Smashing Machine will be in theatres nationwide on October 3.

OSCAR POTENTIAL:

• Cynics might say that Dwayne Johnson’s involvement in The Smashing Machine is a naked Oscar play, and whether this is true or not, Johnson picked a difficult year to crack the Best Actor race. I believe he can break through, but it’s not going to be easy. Also working against him/the film is the film and TV Academies’ collective shunning of the Safdie’s films and TV work, notably snubbing projects like Uncut Gems and The Curse.
• Besides the actors, the film’s best chance at a nomination lies in the Makeup and Hairstyling. Not only is the prosthetic work on Johnson immaculate, but Kazu Hiro (who was most recently nominated for his work on Maestro) is a legend within the industry. A nomination would be rightly deserved, but the competition is stiff.