Wayne K
The story of Mark Kerr is a cautionary tale and eye-opening look into the brutal and unforgiving world of combat sports, following one of its most dominant figures as he experiences both the highs and lows of his professional career. Plagued throughout by addiction, domestic strife and the inability to reconcile his pacifistic nature with the harsh reality that his livelihood requires him to hurt people, often to the point of incapacity. We see Mark's life and work through both his own eyes and those of his closest friends and associates, who are forced to come to terms with the fact that Kerr's health and wellbeing is constantly at stake, and his demons, as well as his poor life choices, could spell disaster for him. We get to see the sport from a different angle, not just the walkout, the fight and the exit. We see him in the locker room after a significant defeat, where he breaks down in despair, as well as following the aftermath of a drug overdoes that hammers home the fact that he needs to reconfigure his entire life if he wants to avoid self-destruction. Even if you're not an MMA fan, there's a lot to appreciate and even enjoy in TSM, which peels back the mask of a professional fighter and exposes their flaws and insecurities, reminding us that they're human like the rest of us, make mistakes and exhibit poor judgment when they allow their emotions to get the better of them. It's sad that Mark went down the path he did, but if his tragic story can prevent others from doing the same in the future, then it's one that simply needs to be told.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
09/11/23
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Audience Member
Gentle men fight for their life, not to take another's. Giving insights to another world that we can only watch and imagine.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/26/23
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Audience Member
A very honest accounting of an athletes life spun completely out of control; A phenomenal doc for mma fans and non-fans alike.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/24/23
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Audience Member
Gave me a whole new level of respect for what these guys do. awesome, sad and just a little scary.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
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Audience Member
THE FILM JUNKIE
To put it simply, The Smashing Machine is an action packed, compelling yet emotional documentary. Before actually viewing the film, I thought the storyline would not appeal to me because I have virtually no interest in Mixed Martial Arts fighting. However, director Josh Hyams presents the film in a way that one does not necessarily have to be interested in Mixed Martial Arts to thoroughly enjoy the film. I was pleasantly surprised by this, and ended up respecting Mark Kerr greatly after viewing this documentary. This is mainly because Hyams gives viewers a more holistic view of Kerrâ(TM)s life not only as a fighter, but as a person as well. So, what really allows for this âholisticâÃ,Â? kind of viewing exactly? Itâ(TM)s the way the director chose to go about filming Mark Kerr. This type of filming style is very low key, which allows for people to formulate their own opinions as to what is going on. The camera essentially travels with Mark Kerr as he goes about his day-to-day routine. We get to see the grueling physical training Kerr endures in preparation for his fights, the actual professional fights themselves, the drug addictions he struggles with, and even his at home life with troublesome girlfriend Dawn Staples (which is a very entertaining part of the film). While the camera so carefully captured all of these events, I truly felt as if I were actually there.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
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Audience Member
Good documentary that focuses on Mark Kerr and his painkiller addiction - too bad his comeback once he got the drugs out of his system hasn't been successful. Some extra footage with some candid shots and behind the scenes happenings with some other MMA fighters as well. Documentary is good enough to appeal to everyone, not just MMA fans.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
Full Review
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