After doing a series of lacklustre spectacle movies that flopped at the box office, it seems Dwayne Johnson has finally found the right direction for his acting career. His latest feature, 'The Smashing Machine', is getting raves from critics and a 15-min standing ovation from audiences who got to see the film early at the latest edition of the Venice International Film Festival on Monday.
Based on two-time UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr, the biopic is directed by Benny Safdie, one half of the famed director duo commonly known as the Safdie brothers, who directed underrated classics such as 'Good Time' and 'Uncut Gems', in addition to a number of short films. Emily Blunt plays the main female lead.
Helmed by maverick production studio A24, the film marks Benny Safdie's first solo directorial, following his (acting) role as theoretical physicist Edward Teller in Christopher Nolan's 2023 film 'Oppenheimer', which bagged a whopping seven Oscars the next year, and a dark comedy psychological thriller TV series 'The Curse' (2023-present), which he created, wrote, and directed, alongside Nathan Teller. The two creators also act in the series, alongside 'Poor Things' and 'La La Land' fame Emma Stone.
Also taking inspiration from a 2002 HBO documentary with the same name, 'The Smashing Machine' will explore Kerr's 12-year-long career that saw him win two UFC heavyweight championships and four ADCC world championships, but also tumultous personal relationships with his wife (Dawn Staples) and trainers as well as a vicious battle with substance abuse. Adding to the film's authenticity, Kerr is set to co-write the film with Safdie.
The film also stars Johnson's close friend and collaborator Emily Blunt, who last collaborated with him in Disney's 2021 film, 'Jungle Cruise'.
In December last year, Blunt called the film “an incredibly immersive, very intense, very emotional experience” and Safdie a “very cool, aesthetically exciting, visual director”, as per a Guardian report.
She is also set to star opposite him in Martin Scorsese's highly-anticipated upcoming project, based on the first and only Hawaiian crime boss Wilford “Nappy” Pulawa, who battled American colonial figures to maintain his crime syndicate. The film's cast also involves elite MMA fighters Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk, as well as newcomer Lyndsey Gavin.
“Benny wants to create, and continues to push the envelope when it comes to stories that are raw and real, characters that are authentic and at times uncomfortable and arresting. I’m at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I’ve not pushed myself in the past. I’m at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain,” the former WWE wrestler and Hollywood action hero explained in an earlier interview with Variety.
However, he also clarified that he would not be stepping away from “big, four-quadrant films” in the future.
Prepare for impact! 'The Smashing Machine' is set to crash screens on October 3, 2025.