The Smashing Machine

"The unforgettable true story of a UFC legend."

2025 2h 3m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 723

DramaHistoryAction

Synopsis

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In the late 1990s, up-and-coming mixed martial artist Mark Kerr aspires to become the greatest fighter in the world. However, he must also battle his opioid dependence and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend Dawn.

“The unforgettable true story of a UFC legend.”

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Cast

Dwayne Johnson
Mark Kerr
Emily Blunt
Dawn Staples
Ryan Bader
Mark Coleman
Bas Rutten
Bas Rutten
Oleksandr Usyk
Igor Vovchanchyn
Lyndsey Gavin
Elizabeth Coleman
Zoe Kosovic
McKenzie Coleman
Satoshi Ishii
Enson Inoue

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Benny Safdie
Writers: Benny Safdie
Languages: English, Japanese, Ukrainian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 42% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Japanese, Ukrainian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Benny Safdie, shot by Maceo Bishop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nala Sinephro. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Benny Safdie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt and Ryan Bader carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Benny Safdie directs. Maceo Bishop behind the camera. Nala Sinephro scores. Benny Safdie cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Japanese, Ukrainian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 42% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released last year.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Japanese, Ukrainian.
5Directed by Benny Safdie, shot by Maceo Bishop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Nala Sinephro. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Benny Safdie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt and Ryan Bader carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The unforgettable true story of a UFC legend.".
10IMDB entry: tt11214558 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "sports", "drug addiction", "biography", "based on true story".

The technical file

Cinematography: Maceo Bishop
Original score: Nala Sinephro
Editing: Benny Safdie
Production design: James Chinlund
Costume design: Heidi Bivens
Makeup / hair: Greg Cooper-Spencer
VFX supervisor: Sean Devereaux
Sound: Chris Chae
Stunt coordinator: Greg Rementer
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $50,000,000
Box office: $21,133,481
Return: 42% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Smashing Machine (2025)

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Benny Safdie

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-10-09
★ 6/10
Mickey O’Rourke had a go in 2008 and Orlando Bloom earlier this year in “The Cut”, so now it’s the turn of Dwayne Johnson to bulk up and out to deliver a biopic of UFC pioneer Mark Kerr. This is all set at a time when he can make a living for himself and girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt) but there are no Ferraris and swimming pools for them. For that he has to win the Grand Prix in Japan and that involves his embarking on the ultimate in fitness and endurance regimes, aided by his own chemical romances that frequently seem to render him little better than catatonic. Domestic dysfunction ensues as he has to face up to his responsibilities and settle his priorities before what he has comes crumbling down. It’s a true story, but it just didn’t engage me at all. Johnson comes across well as the amiable and dedicated athlete, but a film about any sport that requires a rule change to ban eye gouging was probably never really going to work for me. The fight scene are sparing, occasionally graphic, and they do convey just how brutal this mixed martial arts combat can be, but the characterisations here are just all too sterile to engage. Whilst Kerr comes across as a decent human being, Blunt’s performance doesn’t really make anything like enough impact as it trundles along without much from the dialogue to make me care. Tangentially, it does quite enjoyably poke some fun at the inanity and banality of sport’s broadcasting punditry and I didn’t hate it, but I’ll probably never watch it again.

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