Title: The Smashing Machine
MPA Rating: R
Director: Bennie Safdie
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

What It Is: Mark Kerr (Johnson) is a fighter and a wrestler, competing in the early days of mixed martial arts during the formative years of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As a rising heavyweight in the scene, losing is a foreign concept to the undefeated Kerr. When that streak is finally threatened and he suffers his first loss, everything he knows begins to crumble.

As the pieces fall apart, his usually reliable girlfriend, Dawn (Blunt), simultaneously begins to mentally unravel herself and can no longer provide the level of support she once did.

What We Think: What is the point of this film? If I wanted to know more about this story, I would rather just watch the documentary it is based on. When the action is in the ring, Benny Safdie occasionally gives us glimpses of the filmmaker he can be alongside his brother. Outside of that, the film struggles.

Dwayne Johnson lets the makeup do most of the work when it comes to making his performance “interesting,” and frankly, he is very weak in a role being touted as his best yet. That might be true, but it does not say anything flattering about his previous work. Emily Blunt is wasted in over-the-top dramatics, and Benny Safdie’s screenplay is neither strong nor compelling.

The decision to shoot on 16mm does give the film the right aesthetic, especially for the time jumps it attempts. It would not be a bad movie if it were directed by almost anyone else. With the Safdies, my expectations are higher, and I think that is more than fair.

Our Grade: C+, A complete nothingburger that is likely to bore you to death with its lazy screenplay. If you really want to learn about Mark Kerr and his struggles, you are far better off sticking with John Hyams’ 2002 documentary instead. It is also a full thirty minutes shorter. What an utter disappointment.