Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has built his career on a charisma that’s larger-than-life and action-hero bravado. However, The Smashing Machine marks his first full-on dramatic role. It’s a significant shift away from the typical fast cars, jungle adventures, and superhero suits that have dominated his filmography for the past twenty years. The result is a bold career move for Johnson — one that shows flashes of genuine depth, even if it isn’t always seamless.
Unlike most biopics that attempt to cram an entire life story into a lengthy runtime, The Smashing Machine adopts a more focused, documentary-style approach. Safdie doesn’t set out to show us Kerr’s whole arc from childhood to retirement. Instead, he zeroes in on a narrow, volatile stretch of Kerr’s life. He frames it with the textures of a cinematic documentary. The film even leans into “talking heads,” styled so convincingly that you could almost mistake parts of it for a feature-length doc. It’s a refreshing break from formula, though it comes with its own trade-offs.
That stripped-down scope means we’re not given much room to attach ourselves emotionally to Kerr — or his fellow fighter and friend, Mark Coleman — unless we already know them from the MMA world. The film offers snapshots of pain, triumph, and personal unraveling, but rarely digs into backstory or inner psychology. You don’t walk away knowing what makes Kerr tick; you walk away knowing how he endured. For some, that observational space may feel cold, keeping the film from reaching the kind of emotional buildup we expect from sports dramas.
The Smashing Machine pushes Dwayne Johnson into his first dramatic role, with Benny Safdie capturing Mark Kerr’s story in raw, docu-style form.
Still, Safdie’s vision is uncompromising. He leans into rawness over narrative polish, letting the discomfort and fractured moments carry weight. The camera lingers on sweat, bruises, and silences in a way that feels authentic. This approach doesn’t always make the film conventionally satisfying, but it does make it memorable.
At the heart of this experiment is Johnson, who gives the most stripped-back performance of his career. Gone are the raised eyebrows and self-aware charm. Instead, he plays a man haunted by physical punishment and personal demons. And for the most part, he’s terrific. You see him shedding layers of his Hollywood persona and working hard at embodying Kerr’s vulnerability. At times, his performance hits raw notes that show a genuine commitment to the craft. At other moments, it feels like you’re watching an actor still finding his footing in dramatic terrain — he tries, but the technique isn’t fully locked in. That said, the effort is undeniable, and the risks he takes here are leaps beyond anything he’s attempted before.
Overall, The Smashing Machine isn’t built for crowd-pleasing arcs or emotional uplift. This piece spotlights a character in all their imperfect glory. Though it has some rough edges, these very elements evoke strong emotions and vivid imagery that linger long after. Although Johnson’s performance may not be flawless, it’s undeniably a turning point. Safdie pushes him out of his comfort zone, and even when it’s rough, it’s fascinating to watch. If nothing else, this film proves Johnson can stretch himself in ways most audiences never thought possible.
Rating: 3.5/5 atoms
The Smashing Machine hits theaters on October 3rd.
