The Smashing Machine

Benny Safdie Wins Best Director Silver Lion for ‘Smashing Machine’ at Venice Film Festival - Variety

In one of the year’s most unexpected collaborations, global superstar Dwayne Johnson joins forces with acclaimed filmmaker Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) for a gripping portrait of MMA and UFC pioneer Mark Kerr.

Kerr rose to fame in the brutal early days of mixed martial arts, helping propel the sport to international recognition. But behind the triumphs was a man battling the punishing physical toll of competition, a relentless travel schedule in Japan’s lucrative fight scene, and a devastating struggle with painkiller addiction.

Johnson delivers a revelatory performance as Kerr, capturing both his towering physical presence and quiet vulnerability, with Emily Blunt starring as Dawn, the partner forced to endure the cost of his sacrifices.

Shot with a raw, hyperrealistic edge that recalls the Safdie Brothers’ Good Time and Uncut Gems, the film blends dramatic intensity with documentary-style grit. Featuring appearances from MMA icons Bas Rutten and Ryan Bader – and even Kerr himself – The Smashing Machine shatters the conventions of the sports biopic.

Unflinching, authentic, and deeply human, this is a sports story unlike any other.

Starts October 2 at Luna Leederville.