No more applicable place to start than with the bouncer-turned-brawler who not only helped train Mark Kerr in regards to the original Smashing Machine documentary in real life, but did the same thing while playing himself in Benny Safdie's movie. And he still looks capable of punching a hole through another person's torso, even at 60 years old.

The new gritty sports biopic, The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, looks like an odd pairing for indie filmmaker Benny Safdie, whose partnership with his brother, Josh Safdie,

Rebecca’s Take “The Smashing Machine” recounts the success and struggles of Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Mark Kerr. Relying on his own professional wrestling background, Dwayne

Kerr, aka "The Smashing Machine," is a former wrestler and MMA fighter. A two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, he was also a NCAA collegiate wrestling champion. He and ex-wife Dawn Staples share son Bryce.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is known as one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, but he made an admirable move for his latest project.

Dwayne Johnson's career-best performance, complemented by a brilliant Emily Blunt, lifts this slow-burn Mark Kerr biopic.

Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine is not a triumphant sports movie in the traditional sense—it’s an unfiltered, nerve-jangling character study about the

N ot many sports drama films capture the raw emotional intensity like Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, which follows the true story of MMA legend Mark Kerr. Produced by A24 and starring Dwayne Johnson alongside Emily Blunt, the film is based on the 2002 documentary titled The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr.