- 2 months ago
Dwayne Johnson defies his critics and gives one of the best performances of his career in this biopic of UFC star Mark Kerr, but the film itself is more of a mixed bag, as Film Brain compares it to the documentary it is based on.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Projector, and on this episode, Dwayne Johnson makes a dramatic comeback of his own in The Smashing Machine.
00:06Set between 1997 and 2000, Mark the Smashing Machine Kerr, played by Dwayne Johnson, is an undefeated force in MMA,
00:30at a time where the sport was controversial in the US, and Kerr fights in the Pride events in Japan.
00:37But when Kerr suffers a series of personal and professional defeats, like his opioid addiction,
00:41that strains his relationship with his girlfriend Dawn Staples, played by Emily Blunt,
00:46Kerr's toughest fight will be to make a comeback and find his own happiness.
00:51The Smashing Machine is largely inspired by John Himes' 2002 HBO documentary of the same name,
00:56which followed Kerr's ups and downs and those around him, which was highly acclaimed at the time.
01:01I actually tracked it down and watched it for this review, and if you have seen the film,
01:05it's well worth watching, because it serves as a good companion piece to see the real-life counterparts,
01:10and it's a very candid warts-and-all dog.
01:13It's also worth seeing just for the sake of comparison, because Safdie takes a lot from it,
01:18effectively recreating entire scenes down to the exact dialogue and even camera framing in some instances,
01:24and some scenes are either inspired or transposed from it.
01:28Even the narrative film's structure is similar to the non-fiction one in the way that the events are structured,
01:33particularly near the end of the film and the cross-cutting between the fighting and Kerr being stitched up.
01:39That's copying and editing choice from the documentary.
01:42This is Benny Safdie's first solo directing outing, having previously worked with his brother Josh
01:46on movies like Good Time or the incredibly intense Uncut Gems.
01:50Like the Coens currently, they've split to work on different projects, both of which are A24 sports films.
01:58Josh is writing and directing the fictional ping-pong drama Marty Supreme with Timothee Chalamet,
02:03which is out at Christmas.
02:04Benny is also a writer and director on The Smashing Machine,
02:07which tries hard to maintain the grit and fear of the documentary that inspired it,
02:11with lots of handheld camera work and tight crash zooms.
02:14One thing that does set apart from the doc is that it was shot on early digital video,
02:19whereas a lot of the narrative film is shot on 16mm film that gives us this rough texture,
02:24itself synonymous with low-budget documentaries,
02:27that expands into 17mm film in the big arena sequences.
02:31There's also a couple of sequences that are shot on VHS cameras,
02:35particularly the opening credits, which really gives you that 90s feel.
02:39It's clear that authenticity was a big aim on Safdie's part with the direction,
02:43right down to getting very precise details like shirts, hats, and clothes that people wear,
02:49which are emulated often directly from the original documentary.
02:53It immerses you in this world of early MMA in America,
02:56and that authenticity was clearly a major reason for the casting of Johnson in the lead role.
03:02And the central attraction of the movie is Dwayne Johnson and his radical transformation.
03:06Johnson's had a career that's gone through a lot of different phases.
03:10When he started out, he was seen as the heir to Arnie's crown,
03:12and he was put in some fairly fun action vehicles.
03:15But as a wrestler-turned actor,
03:17the only major ones that had come before him were Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan.
03:21And Piper's film career didn't really take off,
03:24and Hogan's filmography is a punchline.
03:28There was a time when Hollywood just didn't know what to do with Johnson,
03:30and he very nearly went down a Hogan-like path of embarrassing family films
03:35that he thankfully broke out of.
03:37But it was at that time where you also did see him try to get out of his comfort zone
03:42and experiment.
03:43That was when he got his twitchy, insecure role in the bonkers Southland Tales.
03:49His gay bodyguard was the only good bit of be cool.
03:52And then a few years later,
03:54he did Snitch and was terrific in Michael Bay's Pain and Gain.
03:58A lot of those films weren't very good,
04:00but for those that were paying attention,
04:02they showed that Johnson had the chops of a kind that don't elicit a woo!
04:07But those kind of roles disappear where his career was catapulted by Fast and Furious,
04:11and Johnson became focused on being a movie star.
04:14And there's nothing wrong with that.
04:16There's plenty of A-listers that I would consider to be movie stars,
04:19where their presence and personality is the attraction,
04:22and someone as muscular and charismatic as The Rock
04:25naturally fitted into that role,
04:27especially as you don't expect someone like that to disappear.
04:30He had finally become the Arnold he had aspired to be.
04:35I remember there was a Rolling Stone profile in 2018
04:37where Johnson talked about wanting to make crowd-pleasing movies,
04:41quote,
04:41never send an audience home unhappy,
04:43that he didn't want to do darker roles,
04:46quote,
04:47no one is going to see me play a borderline psychopath suffering from depression.
04:52How times change.
04:54However, Johnson has not always chosen wisely.
04:56Some vehicles, like Jumanji, have fit in very well,
05:00but often he's leading these overblown, interchangeable, CG-heavy action films
05:04where even he felt the same from film to film.
05:08And worse, he kept picking this humorless, toughest-guy-in-the-universe parts
05:12that don't play to his charm or strength.
05:15Everything about Johnson felt safe, brand-managed, and packaged.
05:19But when you're a movie star,
05:21your brand is only as good as the films you star in,
05:24and a lot of them just weren't very good.
05:26And other wrestlers who followed in Johnson's footsteps,
05:29like John Cena or Dave Bautista,
05:32not just caught up with him,
05:33but overtook him as actors.
05:36People looked at Bautista,
05:37who mixes action roles with character work,
05:40and asked why Johnson wasn't doing the same.
05:43You combine that with the fact that Johnson had some very public dents in his image,
05:47from the bust-up with Vin Diesel,
05:49to trying to hijack DC through Black Adam,
05:52or the infamous Bottles of Pee reports from the set of Red One,
05:55and it's clear that Johnson needed a reinvention.
05:59The smashing machine marks the start of that.
06:01Johnson has already committed to working with Benny Safdie on his next film,
06:05and he's talking about working with Scorsetti.
06:07Johnson clearly wants to be taken seriously as an actor.
06:10He commits to this film like a man who has something to prove,
06:13not just to silence his critics,
06:15but also to challenge himself.
06:18It's a risk for sure,
06:19but it's a calculated risk.
06:22Johnson comes from a very similar background to the man he's playing,
06:25and Kerr did come from a wrestling background before he moved into MMA,
06:29and the two are very closely intertwined.
06:32And don't think it didn't escape my notice that both WWE and USC are now owned by TKO,
06:37and the film could kind of be a cross-promotion,
06:39given that Kerr is an inducted USC Hall of Famer.
06:43There's only a four-year difference between Johnson and Kerr now,
06:46so you could argue that Johnson is a bit too old to play him two decades ago,
06:51but going back to that authenticity,
06:53only someone like Johnson knows what it's like to live through that kind of physicality
06:57and the toll it takes upon you.
07:00That's what Johnson brings to the film,
07:02a kind of lived-in, behind-the-curtain glimpse of being in the show business of fighting.
07:07It might seem unimaginable with some of the physique of Johnson to somehow disappear,
07:12but there are times in the Smash Machine where he does genuinely vanish into Kerr.
07:16Thanks to the combination of prosthetics and adopting Kerr's mannerisms and softly spoken voice,
07:22it is possible to see the role and not the actor,
07:25although when Kerr shaves his head near the end,
07:28you do start to see Johnson again somewhat unavoidably.
07:31But I think Johnson was drawn to the role because he sees a lot of himself in Kerr
07:35and relates to his story of coming back after falling down to earth,
07:40and there are moments where Kerr and Johnson intertwine so closely
07:44that it blurs where one starts and the other begins.
07:47There's a scene where Kerr apologises to supporters at a press conference
07:51for not being, quote,
07:52the man you thought I was,
07:54and it almost feels like Johnson apologising to his own fans.
07:59Kerr made his entire life about winning.
08:02He starts the film undefeated
08:03and talks about chasing that high of the crowd,
08:06cheering after he wins a bout.
08:08At the start, he says that he can't let his emotions be like a spotlight,
08:12that he has to be laser-focused on victory.
08:15Everything he does is to that aim,
08:17even if he has to emotionally detach himself.
08:20When he's asked what if he loses,
08:23he says he can't think like that,
08:25and the possibility seems to baffle and unsettle him.
08:28He's setting himself up for a big fall.
08:31When he inevitably fails,
08:33it absolutely destroys him.
08:35It isn't just that he can't handle it,
08:37but the reality of the situation is utterly incomprehensible to him.
08:41There's a great winner as he walks out of the ring
08:44and into the backstage area,
08:46barely able to hide his anger,
08:48and the camera keeps following him
08:49as he meets with the pride officials
08:51as he tries to make excuses
08:53and rationalise that it wasn't his fault.
08:56The subsequent journey to the locker room,
08:58where the impact of what just happened finally hits,
09:01is some of Johnson's best work.
09:04And for someone who has spent so long
09:05trying to make himself an indestructible force,
09:07both on screen and off,
09:09the smashing machine makes Johnson something
09:11that he hasn't been for a long time.
09:14Vulnerable.
09:15Underneath that enormously muscular body
09:17is insecurity and a fragile, wounded masculinity.
09:22And once winning is taken away,
09:25everything starts to fall apart
09:26because he's used it as a way of avoiding facing his problems.
09:30That is especially true of his addiction to opioids
09:33and prescription painkillers,
09:34and how dangerously reliant and addicted he's become.
09:38He's constantly in doctor's offices
09:39trying to talk his way into getting stronger
09:42and stronger medication.
09:43And the constant pain his body is in,
09:46his denial about how serious
09:48and life-threatening his issues have become.
09:50The scene in the hospital,
09:52where he again tries to downplay what happened
09:55before finally breaking into tears
09:57at just how close he came to death
09:59and how scared he is.
10:01That is a phenomenal bit of acting by Johnson.
10:04In a way, I've never seen him do before.
10:07But for those expecting this to be a draw about addiction,
10:10this is more a movie about recovery.
10:13Again, like the documentary.
10:15Safdie has said that Rocky III was something of an inspiration.
10:19And while this is a very different film,
10:21you can sort of see it.
10:23It's Kurt asking himself,
10:24without the adulation of the drugs,
10:27who am I?
10:28He has to redefine what's a victory,
10:30whether it's keeping himself clean
10:32or his own personal fulfillment.
10:34Those are the battles worth winning
10:36and learning from defeat and pain.
10:39And Johnson embraces that in every sense.
10:42And the tough but tender tone
10:44runs through the smashing machine,
10:46even through the fights.
10:47The combat is brutal and sharp,
10:50emphasized by the sound design of bodies
10:52hitting up against each other,
10:53the sounds of canvas,
10:54and a roaring crowd.
10:57The punches aren't big cartoon sound effects,
11:00they're meaty, realistic thuds.
11:03Running through the background
11:04is the birth of MMA into the sport we know it now,
11:07and the changes gradually being implemented,
11:10namely the moves being banned,
11:11like eye gouges and head butts,
11:14all things we see Kerr using to win bouts
11:17at the very start.
11:18It's worth noting at this time
11:19that MMA in the US was sold as a blood sport
11:22and was very close to being banned.
11:25This is only partially mentioned in the narrative film,
11:27but it's more present in the dark.
11:29And Kerr is ferocious in the ring.
11:32He didn't earn his nickname lightly,
11:34but as soon as the fight is over,
11:36he's immediately checking
11:37on the condition of his opponent.
11:39There's a strange contradiction
11:40between Kerr before and after the bell rings
11:43that speaks to the camaraderie between the fighters.
11:46And Kerr has an especially strong friendship
11:48with Mark Coleman,
11:50a key role played by MMA fighter Ryan Bader,
11:53making his acting debut,
11:54who does surprisingly well, considering.
11:57Coleman is just that little bit older than Kerr,
11:59and he's trying to make a comeback of his own
12:01that mirrors Kerr's.
12:03Bader is one of several real-life fighters
12:05throughout the sporting cast
12:06that add to the authenticity of the movie.
12:09Yep, it's that word again,
12:11including Kerr's trainer, Baz Rutten,
12:13playing himself.
12:14One thing that did distract me during the bouts
12:17is the commentators,
12:18who are prone to eye-rolling psychoanalysis
12:21and spelling out obvious dramatic states
12:23in a way where somehow the punches
12:25aren't the most heavy-handed thing going on.
12:29But the biggest fights in the movie
12:30happen outside the ring
12:31in the relationship between Kerr
12:33and his then-girlfriend Dawn Staples,
12:35which to describe as dysfunctional
12:37would be an understatement.
12:39They argue, they make up,
12:41and love each other over and over again.
12:44Kerr doesn't treat her very well at times,
12:47especially in the lead-up to Bouts,
12:49where his laser focus is pushing her away
12:52and ignoring her.
12:54But Staples can also antagonize and provoke him,
12:57and he can get straight-up abusive between them
12:59as they really try to hurt each other emotionally.
13:03There's an added element from the narrative film
13:05that Kerr buys an expensive Japanese bowl for her,
13:08which symbolizes their relationship.
13:10No prizes for guessing what happens to that
13:12when their arguments usually result
13:14in nearby objects getting destroyed.
13:16There's several points where Kerr punches through doors
13:19like they were tissue paper.
13:21Reteemed with a Jungle Cruise co-star and friend,
13:24Emily Blunt is a fine actor,
13:26but I think she gets a bit lost in this movie,
13:28but I don't think that's her fault, really.
13:31I watched the new film first,
13:33and I found Dawn's behavior to be somewhat inexplicable.
13:36I didn't really understand
13:37why sometimes she would be supportive,
13:39and then at other times be really insensitive
13:42to Kerr's recovery and her own drinking.
13:45It was only after I watched the documentary
13:47did I finally get a sense of her,
13:49in part because she admits directly to the camera
13:52she was jealous of his fighting
13:53because he would put it over her,
13:55or that she worried he no longer needed her
13:58after he got clean because she was enabling him.
14:01And I know in a drama you can't say that explicitly,
14:05but it needs to be implicit,
14:07but it speaks to a failing of the film
14:09that doesn't really communicate that coherently.
14:12And these scenes between Mark and Dawn
14:14are the most conjecture and invention,
14:16is where Safdie's inexperience as a writer,
14:19given he's never written in his own film before,
14:21most shows.
14:22You get these huge, arguing, screaming matches,
14:26but nowhere near enough of the love
14:28about what keeps these people somehow together.
14:31It shows the weakness in Safdie's writing,
14:34in that once he isn't using the documentary,
14:37he's much less sure-footed,
14:39and doesn't seem to know what these scenes are saying.
14:43That's especially true near the end,
14:45where their fighting escalates to a point
14:46where things really get out of hand,
14:49and the police have to be called.
14:51But the film ends with a closing text,
14:53saying they married shortly after,
14:55which is likely to leave you as baffled
14:58that that is the last time that we see them together.
15:01That's copying how events played out in the documentary,
15:04but that doesn't really work here for two reasons.
15:07First, Dawn wasn't as prominent in the doc,
15:10as she is here.
15:11Second, this is a narrative feature,
15:13so you expect to have some resolution,
15:15at least if this is meant to be a love story,
15:18albeit a kind of toxic one.
15:20There needed to be a scene where they heal or forgive each other at the end of it.
15:25Instead, their arc feels somehow incomplete,
15:28and it underserves blunt.
15:30The Smashing Machine shows that Dwayne Johnson is capable of
15:32far more than some have given him credit for,
15:35and he's genuinely great in this.
15:38The film itself, though, is good, not great.
15:42Its biggest issue is that it's far too reliant on the documentary that inspired it,
15:46and yes, that does give it a lot of accuracy and specific detail
15:49to the world it inhabits,
15:50but those who are already familiar with it
15:52may be disappointed that this is effectively a remake,
15:55and when it deviates away from it with new or invented material,
15:59the film is much less assured,
16:02and I don't think Safdie adds enough of his own perspective on the material,
16:05especially in the writing.
16:07He uses the documentary like a guardrail.
16:10It's a strong enough story that still largely works,
16:13but the opportunity to truly expand on the doc has been missed.
16:17I'd say watch them both.
16:19See this for Johnson's performance,
16:22but then see the documentary for the real story,
16:24which it told first.
16:26If you're an MMA fan,
16:28I suspect the latter is the one you'll want to revisit more often.
16:32If you like this review and you want to support my work,
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16:51Or you can just simply like, share, and hype the video.
16:54It all helps.
16:56Until next time,
16:57I'm Matthew Buck,
16:58fading out.
17:02I'll see you next time.
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