The professional wrestler-turned-actor trend has led to some truly remarkable performances by celebrities like John Cena and Dave Bautista. Cena showed that he was more than the public’s perception of him by playing Christopher Smith, Peacemaker, in HBO Max’s “Peacemaker” (2022-present).
Likewise, Bautista has been involved in numerous great projects that have elevated him to being one of Hollywood’s most popular current actors. His work in James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy (2014-2023), Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” (2021-present) movies and in smaller films like Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion” (2022) and M. Night Shyamalan’s “Knock at the Cabin” (2023) have proven that Bautista has amazing range as a performer.
Members of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) transitioning to becoming actors is nothing new. Now, we are seeing people being placed in the appropriate medium, TV and film, which allows them to elevate and thrive.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is someone who’s been in movies for a long time but never had the right script or direction to properly flourish; however, that has since changed with the recent release of Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” (2025).
Johnson plays Mark Kerr, a real-life mixed martial arts fighter who reached the peak of his career between 1997-2000. Along the way, Kerr faces personal hardships with his then-girlfriend Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt) and his addiction to painkillers and alcohol.
Over the course of his acting career, Johnson has had memorable roles such as Maui in Disney’s “Moana” (2016) and Luke Hobbs in “The Fast and the Furious” (2001-2023) franchise, but they weren’t enough to get him over the hump.
Mainly, Johnson has been in movies that are either forgettable, like “Rampage” (2018), or flat-out egregiously terrible, like “Red One” (2024). Thankfully, Safdie’s passion and authenticity for filmmaking are apparent in “The Smashing Machine.”
Last year, Safdie and his brother, Josh Safdie, split off from each other to pursue solo careers in the industry. They were responsible for directing “Good Time” (2017) and “Uncut Gems” (2019) together and making a name for themselves.
The way B. Safdie crafts “The Smashing Machine” is beautifully done. It was shot on multiple formats, including 16mm film and 70mm IMAX film. Upon watching, the audience will feel like they are in the late 1990s.
Something both Safdie brothers do well is incorporating people who are not necessarily big names in Hollywood or actors in general. In “The Smashing Machine,” Ryan Bader, an MMA fighter, plays Mark Coleman. Coleman serves as Kerr’s personal mentor.
Third to Johnson and Blunt, Bader pulls his own weight when he plays Coleman. For a man with little to no prior acting experience, Bader nails his character. When he’s needed in the story, he’s used appropriately; he never feels like he’s trying to take the spotlight from Johnson.
Blunt plays Kerr’s then-girlfriend Dawn Staples. Blunt is a kind of actor who is just good in about every project she’s involved with. There are moments in the film where she could easily take over and have the story center around her.
One critique regarding Dawn is how she’s used throughout the film. This isn’t an issue with the performance per se, but rather with how she is written. Compared to Kerr, Dawn is a little underwritten.
That sense of underwhelming screenwriting actually comes back into play when the climax occurs. To Safdie’s credit, it doesn’t ruin the film. The buildup, however, could have been better complemented in the payoff.
Going back to Johnson, words cannot describe how tremendous he is as Mark Kerr. Critics may say that his taking this role means he wants to win an Oscar, and even if that’s true, it is a worthy enough performance to garner attention from the Academy Awards.
“The Smashing Machine” is currently underperforming at the box office. Fan of Johnson or not, this film deserves at least one viewing to witness his astounding performance as Mark Kerr.
Rating: 3.5/5
