The Smashing Machine – Movie Review
First Reaction – The Smashing Machine is hard hitting drama with an impressive series of performances.
Director: Benny Safdie
Writer: Benny Safdie (Screenplay)
Cast
- Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam)
- Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer)
- Ryan Bader
- Bas Rutten (Zookeeper)
Plot: The story of mixed-martial arts and UFC champion, Mark Kerr.
Runtime: 2 Hours 3 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Smashing Machine starts as mixed martial artist Mark Kerr (Johnson) gets a chance to compete in a fighting tournament. He is joined by his trainer and best friend, Mark Coleman (Bader). However, his addictions catch up with him and his toxic relationship with Dawn (Blunt) leaves him in a difficult position.
Mark must overcome his addictions to battle through the tournament and move forward with life. However, the battle is tougher than before, making it the toughest battle of his career.
Verdict on The Smashing Machine
Recap
The movie follows Mark Kerr as he enters the fighting championship in Japan. Elsewhere, he must deal with personal issues and a toxic relationship with his girlfriend. All to become the pioneer for the UFC.
Best Parts
The performances are the strongest part of the movie, with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt being fantastic. We get a film which feels like a documentary more than anything else. Some of the fighting is hard-hitting throughout, too.
Worst Parts
The movie struggles with the story being as interesting as many other stories out there. At the core of it, it doesn’t do anything we have seen before. When it comes to the competition, Warrior is far more interesting and intense for combat.
Final Thoughts – The Smashing Machine brings the best out of the cast, despite the weaker storyline.
