‘The Smashing Machine’ review: Dwayne Johnson delivers a career-changing performance, but there’s one major problem

American cinema has long been admired by war veterans. Rocky, Raging Bull, The Fighter, The Wrestler, Cinderella Man, Creed, Million Dollar Baby, Girlfight, Ali, The Hurricane, Hero — the list goes on and on. Within this type of sport, actors like Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Hilary Swank, Michael B. Jordan, and many others have made their mark, with rave reviews, big box office, award nominations, and big wins. So, it’s a smart move for Dwayne Johnson to show that he’s ready to make the jump from smokin’ comedy star to heavyweight Milling Machine.

The superstar known as The Rock has spent decades building broad appeal as a movie star, from the lip-curling machismo in the Fast and Furious franchise to the bouncy bravado of his voice as Maui in. Moana in dozens of half-baked action movies rest on his broad shoulders and signature smile. But with Milling MachineJohnson sheds his larger-than-life persona to disappear into the role of UFC fighter Mark Kerr.

The means by which he does this are admirable, but the results are mixed due to writer/director Benny Safdie’s challenging choices in constructing this narrative and reconstructing the face of the leading man.

Milling Machine revealed Mark Kerr’s outfield struggles.

Beginning in 1997, the Safdie-penned drama follows the beginning of Kerr’s MMA (mixed martial arts) career within the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Several years have passed, Milling Machine takes the audience to Japan, where Kerr would compete for Pride FC, and then back to the US, where he trained while continuing a tumultuous romantic relationship with Dawn Staples (played here by Johnson’s Jungle Cruise star Emily Blunt).

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Rather than focus his narrative on a specific goal – such as winning a belt or defeating certain enemies – Safdie chooses a disjointed approach. The scenes filled with Kerr’s highs and lows aim to capture the brilliance of “The Wrecking Machine” in the ring, where he was powerful and intimidating, to the man behind the man, who was gentle, even when battling his demons. However, without a driving narrative, the film feels meandering, lacking momentum.

Milling Machine shies away from sports drama cliches, with mixed results.

Benny Safdie, writer/director of “The Smashing Machine,” handles the camera for the film’s final sequence.
Credit: A24

Aspects of Kerr’s story are very common in the professional fight industry. Look The Dark Side of the Ring with many examples. The incredible demands placed on a fighter’s body and brutal training regimen can encourage the abuse of painkillers and other drugs to cope with physical hardships. However, Safdie’s honesty about Kerr’s intravenous drug use makes it almost seem harmless. There is a carelessness in how Mark is shown learning to inject, doing so while getting dressed and carrying on a conversation, which probably suggests that his drug use is not a problem, but part of the routine. But a vague but brutal argument with Dawn soon after suggests that Kerr has lost his grip.

It may be recommended that Safdie and Johnson (also a producer on Milling Machine) aren’t interested in turning Kerr’s real-life low points into a glamorous spectacle. But little is given to show otherwise of his struggle here. Safdie’s script reveals a near-fatal drug overdose over the phone between Dawn and Mark’s friend/colleague Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader). His regeneration time takes place completely off-screen. Thus, his major struggle with addiction is limited to crude jokes about doctors giving him over-the-counter painkillers and his harsh words to Dawn, when she returns from a nice meal with friends. Basically, punches are heard being pulled, outside the ring and inside as well.

Milling Machine will not allow the audience to get close to Mark Kerr.

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt hug in “The Smashing Machine.”
Credit: A24

Safdie rejects the standard of Hollywood boxing movies by keeping his cameras strictly outside the ring. A team of other directors used blindfolds to give the audience an unblinking view of everything from the fear or confidence that gleams on a fighter’s face to the sweat and blood flowing through their muscles. But Safdie won’t let us get any closer than the film’s fans, who are stuck behind the scenes. It’s a choice that echoes his aim for authenticity over Hollywood razzle-dazzle. But physically and emotionally it keeps us at a distance.

Other types of authentication work better. The hand-held camera lends energy and dark excitement to everything from Mark running onto the field to his capture of the dramatic dawn. A soundtrack of late ’90s/early ’00s hits (like Sublime’s “Santeria” and Sugar Ray’s “Every Morning”) playing in the background helps the audience take a trip back to his heyday. But what makes the most impact is Safdie’s unusual acting choices.

As he has done in previous films like us Uncut gemshe nations Milling Machine and non-actors. This time, to play Mark’s friends and rivals, the director brought in fighters Ryan Bader, Oleksandr Usyk, Satoshi Ishii, James Moontasril, Cyborg Abreu, and Marcus Aurélio, many making their acting debut. They bring honesty and integrity to the film, with Bader at his best, seemingly effortless in scenes of professional drama and domestic bliss.

As for Johnson’s performance, authenticity meant asking the actor to assemble and wear elaborate facial prosthetics and wigs to resemble Kerr. And this is where Safdie’s choice hurt Johnson the most.

Dwayne Johnson is amazing Milling Machine, but prosthetics are a problem.

Dwayne Johnson plays Mark Kerr in “The Smashing Machine.”
Credit: A24

Props to the makeup team — the prosthetics are seamless and do the job of erasing The Rock’s familiar face. This change gives Johnson the space to make a play that is distinctly different from his peers in acting and acting as the leading man in most action franchises. Do they make him look like Mark Kerr? I’m not so sure. But we’ve seen many thespians get Oscar gold by hiding their famous features to better fit the character. (That includes Charlize Theron in monster, Brendan Fraser A whale, and Nicole Kidman Hoursto name just a few.)

The problem is that while these prostheses clear The Rock, they also block Johnson’s face. Of course, his performance here is very different from his explosive blockbusters. The early scene where Kerr, bruised and battered, explains his job to the little boy and the judgmental grandmother is well done. The softness of his voice is reflected in his gentle body as he emphasizes that there is a relationship outside the ring. Later, this gentleness is seen again as he speaks to his fellow soldiers and as he pleads with Kusa. (Blunt does her best in the poignant role, painting Dawn as a shifty alcoholic The Jersey Shore thirst for fashion and fighting). However, this functionality is often limited by the prosthetic facial bone.

Creating an edge that casts a dark shadow, the composition often makes it difficult to see Johnson’s eyes. So, it’s like being pushed into the ring in the fight scenes, we’re pulled out of Mark’s experience by not being able to see how he’s feeling. In Johnson’s performance in the shower, this may not be a problem, as he can bring out the emotions with big touches and line screams. But here, almost every aspect of the film aims to be subtle, to better explore Kerr’s shades of gray. And without seeing his eyes, we are often left in the dark.

Ultimately, Johnson delivers a career-defining performance that must prove he can handle a lot of money, even a lot of money. Blunt gives it her all in a thankless role, as does Safdie, in her feature-length writing without her brother/Uncut gems reliever Josh Safdie, takes big swings. It’s a shame that he didn’t have a keen eye for what was hitting you, and that left his audience wanting more.

Milling Machine now streaming on HBO Max.

INSIDE: Jan. 22, 2026, 2:41 pm EST “The Smashing Machine” was reviewed at its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in this article, published on Sept. 20, 2025. Updated to include the latest streaming information.