Dwayne Johnson stepped into the ring of the 1990s UFC as Mark Kerr in the new film The Smashing Machine. The movie promises brutal honesty, with real punches and no special effects. Director Benny Safdie and Johnson pushed the limits – at one point saying, “I don’t want to cut away. I want to see the hit.” When a stunt fighter started hesitating, Johnson insisted, “You have to hit me.” The result was a knock‑down that looked exactly like a genuine impact, not a choreographed stunt.
Johnson didn’t just play the fight sequence. He added 30 pounds of muscle before the shoot, worked out to match Kerr’s bulk, and wore 32 prosthetic pieces to keep his hard‑knock look. The extra weight and body changes gave the character a more authentic swagger, while the production still kept safety a priority.
The film opens with grainy, “real” footage that feels like a home‑video cut from a UFC camp. Safdie’s goal was to make the story feel like it happened, quoting his “As real as it gets” attitude. He pointed to an early UFC shirt he wore after meeting Johnson, saying, “This whole thing has to look like it really happened.”
The Smashing Machine draws on the 2002 documentary of the same name, which follows Kerr’s journey from a Syracuse wrestler to a UFC star. In the film, Johnson meets Kerr on-set and learns that the fighter’s talent was tempered by a harsh style of fighting that filled his life with pain and addiction. Kerr’s real‑world story includes heavy steroid use, opioid addiction, and a career that began 11‑0 before sliding to 15‑11.
The movie premiered on Friday and earned a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, sparking early chatter about possible Oscar buzz. At the Festival, Johnson and co‑star Emily Blunt received a 15‑minute ovation, and the crowd’s applause reflected both the film’s raw portrayal of sport and a newfound respect for Kerr.
In late June, Mark Kerr was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, cementing his legacy as a pioneer of mixed‑martial arts. The film shows those moments, even close‑up shots of Kerr himself in everyday settings—shopping, driving—underscoring that his life was more than just a fighter’s story.
Key takeaways:
- Dwayne Johnson commits to realistic fight scenes in The Smashing Machine.
- The film showcases the brutal, early UFC era and a commitment to authenticity.
- Mark Kerr’s transformation, addiction and 2024 Hall of Fame honor are front and center.
- The movie has already earned critical acclaim at Venice and could receive Academy Award attention.
Keep an eye on The Smashing Machine—it’s a gritty look at one of MMA’s most controversial figures, told by one of the sport’s biggest modern superstars.
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