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The Smashing Machine
Plot
The Smashing Machine tells the true story of Mark Kerr, one of the first stars of MMA. The film opens in 1997, with Kerr giving an interview about his success in the UFC. Back then the sport was still new and ran outside the mainstream. Kerr is strong, likable and seems unbeatable.
Outside the ring, life is far messier. Kerr is dating Dawn Staples, and the relationship swings between tenderness and fights. He also leans more and more on painkillers to get through training and the pain. His friend and rival Mark Coleman watches it all up close.
A painful loss and an overdose change the course of things. Kerr goes into rehab, which shakes the relationship, and tries to get back in shape at a training camp run by Bas Rutten. Benny Safdie shoots on 16mm film, with the camera right on top of the characters. Dwayne Johnson is close to unrecognizable in the lead.
Based on the life and career of MMA fighter Mark Kerr
Official trailer
Awards and nominees
- Venice Film Festival 2025 · Silver Lion - Best Director
Trivia
- Shot between May and August 2024 in New Mexico, Tokyo and Vancouver, mostly on 16mm, with some scenes on 70mm and VHS cameras.
- The makeup that turned Dwayne Johnson into Mark Kerr earned an Oscar nomination.
- On a $50 million budget, it grossed about $21 million worldwide. Its $5.8 million opening was the lowest of Johnson's career.
- Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt both earned Golden Globe nominations.
Cast
- Mark KerrDwayne Johnson
- Dawn StaplesEmily Blunt
- Mark ColemanRyan Bader
- Bas RuttenBas Rutten
- Igor VovchanchynOleksandr Usyk
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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