Benny Safdie’s THE SMASHING MACHINE won the Silver Lion Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Based on real events, ex-wrestler Dwayne Johnson plays the mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr, a star of the scene in the 90s, before the sport became popular in the US. Kerr rarely fights in the US, more often in Brazil, where the sport known as “Vale Tudo“ has been popular since the 20s, and in Japan. There isn’t a lot of money to be earned, the main prize, which Mark Kerr is competing for in Japan, is 200,000 Dollars. Safdie doesn’t linger on Mark Kerr’s success for long. After 20 minutes, the former wrestler experiences his first defeat, and from then on it’s primarily about losing and the consequences thereof. THE SMASHING MACHINE plays with the contrast between Dwayne Johnson/Mark Kerr’s massive muscles and his brute fighting technique on one hand – Kerr lays in on his opponents until they’re unconscious – and on the other hand, on his gentle, quiet voice, his boy next door politeness, and his unbridled despair following the defeat. Kerr’s addiction to painkillers primary appears to be obstacle in his career. The side effects of withdrawal, on the other hand, the permanent pain, the bad moods, the fits of rage, and the inability to relax – become the core of the inner battle that Kerr has to face.

Safdie’s film offers Dwayne Johnson, who was the most well-paid Hollywood celebrity between 2019-2022 and 2024, but has rarely been taken seriously as an actor, the opportunity to play a psychologically complex role. The fact that Johnson delivers such a strong performance seems to have surprised everyone, to the point that the sports drama, with its excellent, dynamic cinematography by Maceo Bishop (UNCUT GEMS), is being somewhat overpraised.

Tom Dorow

Translation: Elinor Lewy