The Smashing Machine

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2:30

The Smashing Machine

R

Oct 2025

2h 3m

Biography

Drama

Action

Sports

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

70%

Tomatometer

293 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

500+ Verified Ratings

The true story of mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr, whose obsession with greatness made him a legend -- and nearly cost him everything.

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Critics Consensus

Dwayne Johnson goes the distance with his transformative turn as Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, a gritty biopic that sidesteps cliché even at the expense of narrative satisfaction while still landing the dramatic body blows that count.

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Audience Says

While The Smashing Machine may not break any records as a sports classic, Dwayne Johnson’s knockout performance transforms a familiar story into an unexpectedly memorable experience.

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Peter Travers

The Travers Take

It'll be a hardsell for audiences to accept Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a genuine actor ready to emerge from the exhibitionist surface of his wrestler’s body and indestructible movie-star appeal. But he does that here and passes with flying colors.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 31, 2025

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Sergio Burstein

Los Angeles Times

This is a machine not worth opposing. [Full review in Spanish]

Oct 14, 2025

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Dwight Brown

DwightBrownInk.com

Surprisingly, Johnson excels most in the dramatic scenes. The emotional tug-of-wars with Blunt and him are scorching.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 13, 2025

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Personally, I think it's a sports biopic that offers a more or less decent performance from Dwayne Johnson as the ultimate champion, but its narrative seems dull enough to knock me out cold. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/10

Nov 15, 2025

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John Serba

Decider

The allure of seeing Johnson stretch himself creatively without the cornball fodder of similar films in the genre is more than enough to overcome The Smashing Machine’s flaws.

Nov 7, 2025

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Michael Nordine

Movie Brief

Despite its attempt to be more akin to Raging Bull than Rocky, this is still a fairly pedestrian sports drama.

Nov 3, 2025

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Jacob

well the rock strikes again. he did good playing a UFC fighter mark kerr . good movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/15/25

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Kelly

The rock was great, movie was def slow, kinda boring at times

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/13/25

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Ana R

I'm not a big fan of UFC but it was great to watch this movie and have a more understanding of the sport through an athlete's view. The relationship in this movie points out great information on how one person could effect your own personal choices. Recommend to watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/25

Full Review

Ben W

Very good. Great performances all around.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/27/25

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Tommy

The movie makes me motion sick.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/25/25

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Cliff

The Rock made you forget he was the rock and Emily Blount was amazing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/25/25

Full Review

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Benny Safdie

Director

Dwayne Johnson

Mark Kerr

Emily Blunt

Dawn Staples

Ryan Bader

Mark Coleman

Bas Rutten

Self

Oleksandr Usyk

Igor Vovchanchyn

The Smashing Machine: Exclusive Movie Clip - First Real Test

2:31

The Smashing Machine: Movie Clip - Made This For You

1:02

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The Smashing Machine: Featurette - Playing 2000s Trivia

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The Rock on Transforming Into Mark Kerr

1:41

'The Smashing Machine' Cast Share the Hardest Part of Their Character Transformations

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The Smashing Machine: Featurette - First Look

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The Smashing Machine: Trailer 2

2:30

The Smashing Machine: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The true story of mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr, whose obsession with greatness made him a legend -- and nearly cost him everything.

Director: Benny Safdie
Producer: Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, Eli Bush, Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, David Koplan
Screenwriter: Benny Safdie
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Out for the Count, Seven Bucks Productions, A24
Rating: R (Language and Some Drug Abuse)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Action, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 3, 2025, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 4, 2025
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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