Many know Brock Lesnar, Conor McGregor and Jon Jones. But not as many are familiar with Mark Kerr, for a time one of the toughest men on the planet. Kerr went from winning an NCAA wrestling championship to winning to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tournaments.
In “The Smashing Machine” Kerr is masterfully played by Dwayne Johnson, a UFC champion known as The Rock. Some may think the role isn’t a heavy lift for Johnson; he is a big guy with muscles playing a big guy with muscles. But rather than mailing it in, Johnson excels in the role that could earn him an Oscar for Best Actor.
Johnson balances the savagery in the ring (or the octagon), with the vulnerability outside it. While Kerr was able to easily take down fighters early on, outside the ropes, he dealt with his own demons: steroids, alcohol abuse, an addiction to pain killers, cocaine and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend, Dawn, played by Emily Blunt. While the film lacks a traditional antagonist, Johnson portrays Kerr as his own worst enemy.
The fight scenes are well staged, believable and not shot with obvious angles, as director and writer Benny Safdie puts you in the action, although the movie plays down the violence and gore. We feel for Johnson’s Kerr when he loses his first ever fight, but it’s because of illegal knees to his neck. Kerr wins a Vale Tudo tournament in Brazil makes quick work of Paul Varelans in UFC 14, despite the fact that Varelans outweighed Kerr by 80 pounds (although it isn’t shown in the film, Kerr beat Israeli kickboxer Moti Horenstein).
Johnson has surprisingly good chemistry with Blunt. It’s a tough role that Blunt does well as she goes from Kerr’s enabler to someone who steps in to try to get him off drugs, though it takes a toll on her own psyche.
When Kerr was fighting, UFC was not the pop cultural juggernaut is its today; he would have made a lot more money if he was fighting now. At the peak of his powers, he had to go to Japan as UFC fizzled.
In addition to his WFC moves, Johnson’s get to show all his acting chops.
Unlike some tragic biopics, Kerr got clean and did not die; the real Kerr makes an appearance in “The Smashing Machine’s” final scene. The UFC, which had been on ESPN as well as pay per view will be available on Paramount+, so this tie-in is timely and from a marketing standpoint, it helps to show a fighter who was able to put his life together.
Johnson should be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor. Safdie knows what he is doing behind the camera and alsodeserves an Oscar nomination for avoiding sports movie cliches It’s a very realistic portrayal of the struggles of addiction. As played by Johnson, Kerr is likeable, just a regular guy in the body of a warrior.
It’s a good lesson to see that even one of the strongest men in the world could be ruined by demons, but thankfully, Kerr was able to defeat them, and is still around and doing well. Kudos to Safdie for putting Kerr in the film’s final scene.
