The hype surrounding Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s latest film has been substantial. After becoming one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars during an era that has seen movie stars become less important than they’ve ever been, a string of disappointing (by his standards) box office performers has inspired the star to dip his toe into unfamiliar territory and act in a serious drama for the first time in his career. In a vehicle written and directed by Benny Safdie, one half of the art house darling directing siblings the Safdie brother, all accounts coming out the festival circuit has Johnson as a hyped early Oscar contender. Audiences can now judge for themselves.
The Smashing Machine takes place between the years 1997 and 2000, chronicling MMA fighter Mark Kerr (Johnson) as he works toward rising within the sport while managing both professional hardship and personal turmoil alongside his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt).
The Smashing Machine is less a plot driven film and more so a character study, which in this case, means providing a glimpse into the psyche of an athlete obsessed with the pursuit of greatness, what happens when they hit an obstacle in that pursuit, and how this intersects with their personal lives. As he rises up the ranks in a niche, newish sport, Kerr internalizes his undefeated record as a fighter, doing whatever it takes to reach the mountaintop, including pushing his body to the limit both in the ring and outside of it with painkillers to deal with the punishment. Once he hits a roadblock and loses for the first time, he must deal with the new challenge while also managing his rollercoaster relationship with Dawn. This pretty much outlines the entire story for the film’s two hour runtime, The Smashing Machine is light when it comes to narrative. It’s somewhat interesting to watch Kerr travel the world and gain insight into how an elite athlete acts, but the film can also be plodding at times. That it isn’t more often is a testament to the performances contained within it.
What this film ultimately sets out to do however is catapult Johnson from action hero and star into an actor that can display vulnerability and technical skill past what has been expected of him over the past two decades. He has Blunt alongside him to help him navigate this new path and play the talented, experience scene partner while he attempts to carve out a new niche for himself. Under Safdie’s direction and writing, Johnson largely succeeds in his ambitious endeavor, disappearing into his role as the stern but vulnerable Kerr and not just because of the prosthetics that went into his physical transformation. Johnson is able to display the complexities of Kerr’s mental state through his performance, obviously nailing the physical aspect of his stature and his wrestling skill, but also his intensity and obsession with winning that makes up much of Kerr’s identity and challenges his emotional state when he finally loses. Kerr must face losing and injury as he tries to ascend in the world of MMA while navigating a volatile relationship simultaneously and both challenge his self-worth and perception. Johnson displays this in an empathetic way that conveys the mental toll of balancing both heavy things simultaneously, even managing to surpass a thin script that doesn’t necessarily lead him there. While Blunt is there to help in her usual amazing way, Johnson is able to keep up with her as a peer rather than an actor being carried. This film is largely about his performance and how he would manage being a “serious” lead actor and he accomplishes what the hype leading up to the release has stated he did.
As a film on its own, The Smashing Machine is narratively thin; a character study completely dependent on the audience becoming invested in those characters and the performances of the actors in order to pull them in and entertain. While investment in the characters and their stories may vary, the actors objectively do well enough to do much of the heavy lifting in the film, led by Dwayne Johnson. He offers the best performance of his career, displaying his potential as a dramatic actor and validating much of the hype he received coming into this film’s release. Whether or not that is worth the price of admission will vary for each individual.
Image: A24
