Tag: benny safdie

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.