The Smashing Machine

10/9/2025

Mickey O’Rourke had a go in 2008 and Orlando Bloom earlier this year in “The Cut”, so now it’s the turn of Dwayne Johnson to bulk up and out to deliver a biopic of UFC pioneer Mark Kerr. This is all set at a time when he can make a living for himself and girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt) but there are no Ferraris and swimming pools for them. For that he has to win the Grand Prix in Japan and that involves his embarking on the ultimate in fitness and endurance regimes, aided by his own chemical romances that frequently seem to render him little better than catatonic. Domestic dysfunction ensues as he has to face up to his responsibilities and settle his priorities before what he has comes crumbling down. It’s a true story, but it just didn’t engage me at all. Johnson comes across well as the am