By Beth Accomando

October 2, 2025

Mark Kerr’s name may not be familiar to a lot of people, but it’s a name that Dwayne Johnson and Benny Safdie want you to leave The Smashing Machine knowing.

Johnson not only stars as Kerr but he also serves as a producer on the film. When he saw the 2002 documentary of the same name he felt what he called “some real connective tissue with Mark’s life and my own,” and immediately wanted to play Kerr. So he pursued the rights, connected with Kerr about making a film, and got Benny Safdie on board to direct.

COVID delayed the project but Johnson persisted and now this passion project hits the screen. The film not only affords Johnson an opportunity to break out of his popcorn action roles to show some acting chops but also a chance to pay tribute to Kerr who is considered a pioneer in MMA fighting (Kerr was just inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, Pioneer Wing, Class of 2025 with Johnson as the one inducting him this past June).

In the hands of Safdie, The Smashing Game is not your typical sports biopic. It’s a film that opens with the adrenaline rush of domineering victory and then takes a sharp turn into crushing defeat, physical injury, addiction and a failed relationship. But it is all played out in a surprisingly unflamboyant manner.

For anyone coming in expecting a Rocky style sports film, they will be severely disappointed. Safdie and Johnson prefer to present not just an unglamorous portrait of a sport but an almost mundane one in which the fighters are just blue collar workers going out each day to do their job like it’s no different than being a construction worker. So we get scenes about negotiating contracts to pay the bills, and we don’t get rousing training montages but rather sweaty workouts in grimy gyms. And the fights themselves are filmed without epic sound effects or stylized slow motion. It’s almost like someone in the front row is just making a casual recording. The music Safdie chooses tends to be counter in tone to the brutality we see in the ring or arena. And it is brutal. It hurts to see these guys go at each with such ferocious power. But the film is also quick to show how these guys can tear each other up in a fight and still be friends. The film clearly conveys a sense of camaraderie amongst many of the fighters.

But of course the job of an MMA fighter in the late 90s was not exactly like any other job. It did involve a lot of pain for far less money than fighters today get. Part of what the film wants to portray is how those early days were especially rough and challenging with politicians trying to outlaw the sport and no TV or streaming deals to generate big money.

Safdie is best known for his work with his brother Josh, co-directing dark, intense films such as Uncut Gems and Good Time. But like the Coen Brothers, these siblings have also ventured off onto solo projects at least for the moment. Benny on his own, at least in this project, displays a kind of compassion and even hope for his characters that didn’t seem as prevalent in his work with his brother. He makes The Smashing Game ultimately feel like a tribute to Kerr and an attempt to make sure he is not forgotten, and neither is his contribution to the sport.

Johnson disappears in make up and prosthetics to look more like Kerr and less like The Rock. He also tones down his acting style to convey a man who could be physically menacing in the ring – Kerr was called the Smashing Machine for a reason – but also vulnerable and at times soft spoken outside the ring. I don’t think his performance merits the Oscar buzz but Johnson definitely reveals personal and passionate commitment to bringing Kerr to the screen with respect.

The standout performances, however, come in the supporting roles. Fighter turned actor Ryan Bader excels as Mark Coleman, Kerr’s friend and fellow early MMA fighter, and Bas Rutten is great at playing himself — is that really acting? I say yes.

The Smashing Machine doesn’t feel as aggressively fresh and riveting as Safdie’s co-directing efforts with his brother. But The Smashing Machine proves compelling and gritty, and offers a well-deserved tribute to Kerr, who appears briefly at the end of the film as himself. Johnson and Safdie do succeed in making Kerr’s name more memorable now that it had been.

I just want to give another shoutout to Digital Gym Cinema for its continued commitment to curated cinema. Its monthly DGC Video is very much like the old video store staff picks. This month, staffer Lucia has curated Hexes and Woes: Ladies of the Occult. On Tuesdays this month you can find: The Devil’s Bride (1974, 4K Restoration); The Wicker Man (1973, 4K Restoration); The Love Witch (2016); and The Craft (1996).

I just previewed The Devil’s Bride, which was rescued from oblivion by Deaf Crocodile. The film opens against a scenic backdrop befitting Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, and has God on his throne surrounded by dancing angels who are tempted into an orgy of sensual pleasure right under God’s eyes. Oh, and did I mention, it’s a freaking Lithuanian rock opera from 1974! Honestly, if you don’t fall in love with this film in the first five minutes like I did then check for a pulse, you may be dead.

Seriously, there is so much joy and just cinematic lunacy that you can’t help walking away smiling. Plus there is always special delight is discovering a gem like this.

The ridiculous tale involves a mischievous devil dropped on earth to stir chaos in a small village. The film looks gorgeous, the music is fun, and the performers are one hundred percent invested in their roles. Of all the films in the series, this is the one I urge you to seek out as the rarity and the one that will be the most fun with a crowd.

The Wicker Man, of course, is an absolute classic with Christoper Lee and Edward Woodward in fine form in this brilliant folk horror tale. And if you have never seen that on the big screen then make every effort to attend. The curated films often sell out at Digital Gym so don’t hesitate in buying your ticket or you may be shut out.