The first reviews of Dwayne Johnson's The Smashing Machine, directed by Benny Safdie, have started pouring in. Dwayne portrays two-time UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr in the film. Critics seem to agree that this is one of his most "raw and vulnerable" performances yet.
What's Happening
- Early reviews of Dwayne Johnson's The Smashing Machine, which recently received a 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, have been coming in.
- Vulture magazine wrote, "Although The Smashing Machine also portrays Kerr's struggles with opioid addiction and his turbulent romance with his girlfriend Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt), whom he'd eventually marry, these elements get pared down along with much of the rest of the drama."
- The Independent mentioned, "The Smashing Machine may not provide the pay-offs that audiences expect from more conventional sports movies, but this is the most raw and vulnerable that Johnson has ever been on-screen. Once you've seen him this exposed, you won't watch his typical action movie stunts in quite the same way ever again."
- The Independent further stated that Johnson has "rarely played a loser". In The Smashing Machine, he manages to go "deep" without "overdoing too much and killing the audience with kindness".
- The film tracks Kerr's professional triumphs and personal struggles, including his substance abuse battles and his tumultuous relationship with wife Dawn (Emily Blunt).
- Commenting on the same, The Daily Mail wrote, "Maceo Bishop's nimble photography has the sweat and grit of a vintage muscle flick but the score by the experimental jazz composer Nala Sinephro is all swirling harps and breathy saxophones. Yet as an accompaniment to Kerr's battles in and out of the ring, it's oddly perfect."
- Variety observed, "The Smashing Machine isn't a sports movie that wants to jerk a Pavlovian response of triumph out of us. It's after something subtler and more moving. By the end of the film, Mark, who had grown so used to winning, has won in the most transformative way. He has found the man buried inside the machine."
- Damon Wise of Deadline agreed with the other critics and appreciated Dwayne Johnson's remarkable performance, truly becoming the fighter Mark Kerr.
- Damon wrote, "Disappearing so fully underneath Kazu Hiru's astonishing prosthetics that the opening of the film, presented as contemporary footage from an event in São Paulo 1997, looks genuinely like the real thing."
X Reviews On The Smashing Machine
Some reviews also surfaced online after The Smashing Machine premiered at the recently held Venice Film Festival.
One X user wrote, "The Smashing Machine is a sincerely raw sports biopic on the gritty and brutal, real and emotional fights we face in and out of the ring. Johnson bleeds vulnerability onto the screen in an undisputed knockout performance worth every ounce of blood, sweat and tears. Blunt is the PERFECT match."
#TheSmashingMachine is a sincerely raw sports biopic on the gritty & brutal, real & emotional fights we face in & out the ring.
— Ren Geekness (@RenGeekness) September 1, 2025
Johnson bleeds vulnerability onto the screen in an undisputed knockout performance worth every ounce of blood, sweat & tears.
Blunt the PERFECT match. pic.twitter.com/LccnwMc3xX
Another comment read, "Dwayne Johnson gives easily his best performance ever in THE SMASHING MACHINE. Emily Blunt (doing her very best with a painfully written character) and real-life MMA fighter Ryan Bader are also excellent in their roles. Powerful and entertaining, even with a repetitive screenplay."
Dwayne Johnson Breaking Down At The Venice Film Festival
Dwayne Johnson's moving performance in The Smashing Machine had sparked Oscar buzz recently. The 53-year-old actor broke down in tears as the Venice Film Festival audience erupted into a thunderous 15-minute standing ovation on Monday night.
Dwayne The Rock Johnson starts crying after getting a 15 minute standing ovation for his performance in the film The Smashing Machine at the Venice Film Festival pic.twitter.com/v9QtfjBK9g
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) September 1, 2025
In a Nutshell
Dwayne Johnson's performance in The Smashing Machine has been well-received by critics, as reflected in the early reviews. A X user commented that Johnson "bleeds vulnerability" into the film, while another critic mentioned that the lead actor "is kind of the only thing in the movie".
