The Smashing Machine: Dwayne Johnson delivers the performance of his career

Based on the real-life story of former MMA fighter and UFC Hall of Famer Mark Kerr, “The Smashing Machine” is a fantastic sports drama featuring an Oscar-caliber performance from Dwayne Johnson. Director Benny Safdie does a tremendous job of capturing the life of a professional boxer who is considered one of the best in the business. Still, his destructive personal life made him his most formidable opponent, lending the film a sense of realism and authenticity. Dwayne Johnson delivers, in my opinion, the best performance of his career as MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Borrowing similarities to Robert De Niro’s Oscar winning performance as Jake LaMotta in 1980s “Raging Bull”, Johnson completely disappears into Mark Kerr by showing how much he was a nightmare in his personal life and the effects it had on him and the people around him, making this the first time I forgot I was watching Dwayne Johnson because of his incredible and gut-wrenching performance. The film also contains great performances from the supporting cast, which includes Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader as MMA fighter Mark Coleman, UFC fighter Bas Rutten as himself, and professional boxer Oleksander Usyk as MMA fighter Igor Vovchanchyn. Thanks to Benny Safdie’s incredible direction and a fantastic Oscar-worthy performance from Dwayne Johnson, “The Smashing Machine” is an unforgettable movie about mixed martial arts and how the real opponent that every fighter must face is themselves, along with the consequences that come with it. The film is a career-defining moment for actor and former WWE superstar Dwayne Johnson, as I felt like I was watching Mark Kerr, not the actual actor, and that says a great deal about how believable Dwayne Johnson was in this role.

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