FILM REVIEW: THE SMASHING MACHINE (15) ESP RATING: 3.5/5

It doesn’t deliver the knockout blow its pre-release hype threatened – but it lands just enough punches to keep you watching.

The title might have you expecting a full-throttle fight movie, but The Smashing Machine is more about the man inside the cage than the punches thrown within it.

Directed by Benny Safdie (who made his breakthrough with Adam Sandler crime-thriller Uncut Gems) this biopic follows Mark Kerr – one of the UFC’s mixed martial arts early heavyweights – as played by a near-unrecognisable Dwayne Johnson.

It’s less ‘lights out in the octagon’ and more ‘what happens when the lights dim and you’re left alone with yourself.’

Johnson is excellent here. Stripped of his usual blockbuster charisma, he leans into Kerr’s vulnerability – a man battling not just opponents, but his own body and the painkillers that numb it. It’s the kind of performance that could see his name pop up during awards season.

British star Emily Blunt plays Kerr’s girlfriend Dawn – reteaming with Johnson after the duo starred together in Jungle Cruise – and while she makes an impression, she’s very much underused. There’s one fiery scene between them that crackles, but beyond that, her story fades into the background, which feels like a missed opportunity.

The same can be said of Kerr’s addiction arc. We know he goes to rehab, we know he comes out again, but the film completely skips over the most intriguing part: the middle. It’s an odd omission in a story that otherwise wants to dig into the man beneath the fighter.

And then there are the fights themselves. For a film about one of MMA’s early stars, they’re surprisingly scarce. What’s there is gritty and well-shot, but if you’re expecting a sports drama loaded with bouts, you’ll come away wishing for more.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have strengths. The visuals are striking, the atmosphere immersive, and Johnson proves he can carry a dramatic role with conviction. Still, you get the sense a stronger version of the film exists somewhere on the editing room floor – one that lingers more on the messy details of Kerr’s life rather than brushing past them.

By the close, The Smashing Machine churns out a solid watch if you approach it in the right frame of mind. Think of it less as a bruising sports film and more as an intimate, sometimes frustratingly partial character portrait.

If that sounds like your thing, you’ll find plenty to admire within its arthouse-aspiring surroundings.

But if you just want the fights, best adjust your expectations – as this is less smash, more machine.

ESP Rating: 3.5/5

Mike Clarke

Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough & Odeon Luxe Peterborough, Out Now

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Lyndsey Gavin, Bas Rutten & Oleksandr Usyk

Running Time: 2 Hrs 3 Mins

Director: Benny Safdie

Film Review Venue: Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough

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