Director
Benny Safdie
Music (original)
Nala Sinephro
Cast
Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Whitney Moore, Bas Rutten
Edition 2025
123'
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2025
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Action, Drama, Biography, Sport
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Format:
DCP
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Dialogue:
English
Dwayne Johnson crushes all possible preconceptions with the emotional, acclaimed sports biopic The Smashing Machine. As MMA fighter Mark Kerr, 'The Rock' dives deeper into the ring and his acting chops than ever before. A colossal performance from a Hollywood giant. His first film without his brother Josh won Benny Safdie the Silver Lion for Best Director in Venice.
With his searing performance in the raw biographical sports drama The Smashing Machine, the charismatic Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson adds both a new dimension and triumph to his acting career. The Hollywood heavyweight embodies the battered figure of Mark Kerr, a legendary MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter. Outside the ring, Kerr struggles just as fiercely as inside it—though mainly with himself. Based on the 2002 documentary of the same name, this true-life drama offers a sobering look at the toll that both the sport and Kerr’s addictions took on his life and his love (played by Emily Blunt). Writer-director Benny Safdie—half of the filmmaking duo behind Good Time and Uncut Gems—retains the same energy and empathy in his solo debut: raw, authentic, and surprisingly tender. He was awared the Silver Lion for Best Director in Venice, where the film earned a fifteen-minute standing ovation.
Image gallery
Credits
Directors
Benny Safdie
Music (original)
Nala Sinephro
Sound Designer
Chris Chae
Cast
Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Whitney Moore, Bas Rutten
Scenario
Benny Safdie
Director of Photography
Maceo Bishop
Editors
Benny Safdie
Producers
Eli Bush, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, David Koplan, Benny Safdie
Production studios
Out for the Count, Seven Bucks Productions, Magnetic Fields Entertainment
Distributor
The Searchers
More info
Dialogue
English
Countries of production
Canada, United States of America, Japan
Year
2025
Filmography
Benny Safdie
The Adventures of Slaters's Friend (short, 2005), The Ralph Handel Story (short, 2006), John's Lonely Trip to Coney Island (short, 2007), The Story of Charles Riverbank (short, 2008), The Acquaintances of a Lonely John (short, 2008), There's Nothing You Can Do (short, 2008), Go Get Some Rosemary (2009), John's Gone (short, 2010), Why? (This Movie Exists) (short, 2010), Straight Hustle (short, 2011), Solid Gold (short, 2012), The Trophy Hunter (short, 2012), The Black Balloon (short, 2012), Lenny Cooke (2013), Heaven Knows What (2014), Good Time (2017), Uncut Gems (2019), Goldman v Silverman (short, 2020), The Smashing Machine (2025)
Technical Specs
Format
DCP