Featured Image: (Pacer Graphic / Darby Self)

Can you smell what the Rock is cooking? And cooking is indeed what he does in his new film, The Smashing Machine.

Directed by Benny Safdie and released on Oct. 3rd, 2025, The Smashing Machine is A24’s latest and greatest film. The Smashing Machine is a biographical film that depicts the life of professional UFC fighter Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson) and his struggle with opioid addiction.

In summary, this is Dwayne Johnson’s best role in his entire career. Johnson’s acting has never been this emotionally devastating or investing. Every downfall and uprising has the viewer right there beside Kerr and immersed in the hard-hitting world of MMA. 

The film is set against the backdrop of the late 90’s to the early aughts, around the time that all of MMA was in danger of being banned. It opens with Mark’s first couple of bouts in a UFC tournament in Brazil, in which he wins his first-ever championship. This scene is narrated over by an interview that he’s having in the future.

The cinematography in the film fits its style perfectly. Similar to a documentary, the shaky cam makes it feel as if we are experiencing everything happening in real time. Accompanying the camera work is the jazz-infused soundtrack. The blaring horns have an uneasy feel to them whenever they can be heard. For example, when Mark is in a fight, the saxophones exude a discordant wind every time he’s hit on his body or struck in the head. It’s uncomfortable but it makes the viewing experience that much better. 

In Japan, Mark is being interviewed again but this time we get to see it start to finish. He states that he doesn’t know what he would do if he ever lost. He can’t comprehend it. Even whilst preparing for a big match, he’s high on opium so he’s not fully cognizant. Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt), his girlfriend, meets him in his locker room and can tell almost immediately that he’s intoxicated. Her acknowledgement of this is the evidence of a larger problem. 

Even though he felt prepared, Mark loses the fight. Afterwards, he doesn’t say a word to anyone, goes back to his locker room, sits down and cries. It’s the most emotion that we’ve ever seen Johnson has ever shown in any of his films thus far and there’s no competition. After returning to America, his opioid problem reaches its climax and he begins using it daily. The day after destroying a door because of yet another argument with Dawn, Kerr overdoses and almost dies. 

While he’s recovering in the hospital, Mark receives an inspirational visit from his friend, coach and fellow MMA star, Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader). In this visit, Kerr cries in Coleman’s arms and pleads to him that he doesn’t want to die. He uses this incident as the moment where he decides to turn his life around and quit his addiction. He throws away all of his opioid paraphernalia and begins his path to recovery. 

This occurs about midway through the movie and the rest of it is worth the watch to see how he continues after such a terrifying situation. Johnson and Blunt continuously one up each other and the friendly competition simply improves the viewing experience. Overall, A24 came out swinging with this one.

The cast and crew put their heart and soul into the production and it shows greatly throughout the film. The People’s Champ portrays The Smashing Machine with the amount of grace that he deserves, especially when covering such a sensitive time in his life.

Hopefully, we can see Johnson in more serious roles like this going forward. 

Grade: 9/10