Movie Review: The Smashing Machine

The Academy Awards may still be months away, but Oscar season has officially begun, as studios are releasing their slate of hopefuls into the world each week. Some genuine contenders may emerge seemingly out of nowhere over the next few months, but most arrive with a Summer’s worth of buzz ahead of them. It’s a blessing when the hype turns out to be correct, as in One Battle After Another, but it can also be a curse when the expectations don’t pan out. Alas, after much talk suggesting that The Smashing Machine could be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s ticket to a golden trophy, or at least a nomination, the actual film is perhaps a bit too ordinary to maintain much momentum going forward.

Johnson portrays real life MMA fighter Mark Kerr as he vies to win the championship title in Japan’s relatively new tournament, Pride. Years of fighting and intense training have caused him a lot of pain which has in turn resulted in his becoming addicted to opiates. After overdosing and missing one year’s Pride event, he attempts to get himself clean, but the toxic relationship with his wife Dawn (Emily Blunt) makes it increasingly difficult. Still, he pushes on as he heads towards a likely showdown match against his longtime friend and one-time trainer Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader).

After successfully collaborating to write and direct indie hits Good Time and Uncut Gems, this year sees the Safdie brothers both releasing solo films, with Benny out of the gate first (Josh’s Marty Supreme is due out in December). The relentless tension that earned those other two films near universal acclaim is almost entirely absent here unfortunately. It’s still a handsomely staged production that never sinks to becoming boring, but much of what transpires within is all too similar to other sports movies to be especially interesting on its own, and aside from making the late 90s look and feel like the 1970s there aren’t many interesting stylistic choices made here.

Johnson’s eagerly anticipated performance does allow him to stretch his acting chops more than his usual roles do, though it’s debatable if it ever rises to being “awards-worthy” (of course a good campaign can sometimes overcome that). A scene in which his character and Blunt’s have an intense argument serves as the best showcase of what he’s capable of, though even there he is outshone by his costar who gives her all throughout the film in service of a woefully underwritten character.

A case could be made that the relatively predictable sports movie beats can be excused because this is actually a story about addiction, but The Smashing Machine doesn’t do much that feels novel with that subject either aside from perhaps focusing on Kerr’s addiction to the dopamine hit of winning. At least the bittersweet ending upends expectations somewhat, but it’s a case of too little too late by then.

In the end this is a well-acted and perfectly serviceable film that brings up a few worthwhile discussion points to go over with friends afterwards, but which doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression. The fighting is audibly visceral, and the sometimes incongruously free-flowing jazz score by Nala Sinephro is an inspired choice, but little else really stands out about The Smashing Machine. Hopefully the other Safdie brother can bring something more exciting to the table when his sports movie hits theaters this Christmas. ★★★