Dwayne Johnson has an unlimited supply of screen presence and more charm than one hundred Disney princes. Carving out a profitable movie career, Johnson has spent most of his time in big, loud, action flicks and a barrage of subpar comedies. In 2010, the actor starred in the thriller, Faster, about a man who leaves prison and seeks out his brother’s killers. The film took a dark and serious tone, giving the former pro-wrestler something interesting to work with. Johnson showed real acting chops. It was an impressive performance in a good film that received too little exposure. Since then, Johnson has been playing it safe. With the new drama, The Smashing Machine, filmmaker Benny Safdie has given the actor a chance to challenge himself and prove his worth as a dedicated actor.
The festival season scuttlebutt was how Johnson gives a towering performance and one that will certainly earn him an Oscar nomination. While this isn’t necessarily his Raging Bull, Dwayne Johnson does an excellent job with his portrayal of Mark Kerr, former mixed martial artist and UFC champion. While the film doesn’t always live up to the actor’s supreme dedication to the role, this will certainly be the one to (if he allows it) change the course of the actor’s career.
The Smashing Machine finds Mark Kerr already in progress. After a consecutive two-year winning streak (from 1997 to 1999), the MMA gladiator with a punishing ground and pound is trying to come to terms with the first loss of his career, as his opponent “won” by hammering him with repeated illegal knee kicks. Kerr is also addicted to opioids; an increasing affliction that is starting to affect his relationship with girlfriend Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt).
The two have the type of coupling that is already oil and water. Kerr may be a beast in the ring/octagon, but he is a sweet soul that, to his detriment, is always hoping to be liked. Johnson gets his character’s childlike innocence and finds a good balance between the nice guy whom everyone loves and the monster personality that reveals itself once the drugs take hold.
Dawn is more toxic to their relationship. In arguments, she pushes back too hard, even when she understands that calming Mark down may be the better move. Blunt does solid work here, even though her career seems to be headed down a dangerous, “and Emily Blunt as the wife/girlfriend” trajectory. The actress captures Dawn’s desire to keep her lover on the straight and narrow regarding his addictions, while realistically showing Staples’ hypocrisy when coming home drunk and smelling like booze. Blunt is a good actress and this is a much better showcase for her talents than she has been allowed of late.
Former MMA champ Ryan Bader is Kerr’s best friend and former coach Mark Coleman. The two have been through it and, due to Kerr’s addiction and Coleman’s desire to win an upcoming championship where he would have to face off against his buddy, the strength of their friendship comes full circle. Bader is quite good at portraying Coleman’s dedication to his friend and the desire to help him get clean. There is also an unspoken animosity Mark has towards Dawn’s constant intrusion on Kerr’s training time that Bader pulls off by just a look or a slight change in tone. The relationship between the two marks is the most interesting in the film. Where Dawn and Mark have some potent moments (and one powerful scene set to Bruce Springsteen’s Jungleland), we have been down this road before. It isn’t often where films take the time to show the deep affection between two males in a sport riddled with macho posturing.
Benny Safdie’s first solo outing is certainly a winner, but perhaps not one fit for a championship belt. The script is passable and the cast works hard, but there is too much left unsaid. Safdie’s screenplay barely scratches the surface regarding Kerr’s drug issues or his inner rage that comes and goes. The film’s biggest misstep is its failure to go deeper inside the sport, the fighters’ mindset, and Kerr’s place in it. Johnson’s performance is quite convincing and gives The Smashing Machine its emotional pull, but the actor goes deeper than the director’s script. Beyond surface level, we don’t learn enough about the man and it hampers the film’s impact.
Why is Mark Kerr a worthy subject for a film? Safdie doesn’t fully answer the question.
Using his usual docu-style technique, director Safdie crafts moments of real tension, both in the ring and out. Nala Sinephro’s moody electronic score (mixed with effective sax riffs) and Maceo Bishop’s camera give the film a distinct, ambient, cinematic flavor. There are scenes that put the audience into the ring, as the filmmaking becomes a wild flash of almost surreal punches and body slams. These scenes work, but the director never stays inside the ring long enough for them to have real power. Watching Mark Kerr pummel his opponents is brutal and viciously exciting. By the time we see the same thing for the fourth or fifth time, viewers become desensitized.
When all is said and done, Dwayne Johnson stands tall. The actor’s performance could be an awakening. Johnson has done his time in the world of pedestrian Hollywood popcorn flicks. As Mark Kerr, the actor gives the performance of his career (by leaps and bounds) and this is the one that will find producers sizing him up for more serious roles. Johnson is almost a lock for an Oscar nomination and one can hope that he will realize the opportunities that await.
The Smashing Machine is a good film, but one that should have been much stronger and more interested in its subject. With flashes of intensity and the commendable dedication Dwayne Johnson brings to his character, the film works, but is too ordinary to find a way into our hearts.
The Smashing Machine
Written & Directed by Benny Safdie
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Ruttin
R, 129 Minutes, A24, Magnetic Fields Entertainment
