REVIEW: The Smashing Machine (2025 film) - Starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt

Review by Jon Donnis

Watching The Smashing Machine, I couldn't help but notice just how far Dwayne Johnson has come as an actor. He's not The Rock here, not really. He's Mark Kerr, stumbling through victories and failures with this raw honesty that hits harder than you expect. There's something in the way he carries himself, in the quiet moments after a loss or during a fight, that feels completely lived-in. Emily Blunt is brilliant too. Dawn could have been a flat, unsympathetic figure, but she's complicated, fragile and frustrating all at once, and Blunt captures that without ever overplaying it. Their relationship scenes are messy, uncomfortable, and somehow very real.

The film itself, well, it's a mixed bag. Safdie tries to cram so much into two hours that it never really breathes. One moment you're in the middle of Kerr's brutal fights, the next he's wrestling with personal demons or dealing with Japanese officials. Sometimes it feels like you're being handed pieces of a puzzle but never quite given the picture. The editing doesn't help either. It jumps around so much that I occasionally found myself trying to figure out what the film actually wanted me to feel.

And yet, there's something undeniably engaging about it. The fight scenes are tense, physically convincing, and full of small details that tell you a lot about Kerr's mindset without spelling it out. Moments with Bas Rutten and Mark Coleman are lively and often funny in unexpected ways, breaking up the intensity. Some quieter scenes, like Kerr arguing with Dawn or struggling in rehab, stick with you longer than you'd think. They feel messy in the best way, like life itself.

Where it falters is in perspective. If you don't know Mark Kerr, the stakes don't always land. The film tries to show the highs and lows, but it never really tells you why you should care beyond the fights. It's fascinating if you're already invested in MMA, but for a wider audience it can feel a bit thin.

Still, for anyone curious to see Dwayne Johnson actually acting instead of performing, there's plenty here to enjoy. And if you're a fan of MMA like me, there's a lot to take in. For a proper deep dive into Kerr's life, though, the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr is still the definitive watch.

It's a film with flashes of brilliance and moments that really hit, but it never quite pulls it all together. I'd give The Smashing Machine a 7 out of 10.

In cinemas now, and coming to digital at https://apple.co/4mYa8qF

NEWS: LEGEND Rolls Out Thirteen Channel Premieres This October

By Jon Donnis

LEGEND is bringing a full slate of action and adventure to TV screens this October, with thirteen channel premieres spanning westerns, thrillers, sci-fi, martial arts and hard-edged revenge tales. It's a line-up of heroes, villains and anti-heroes, each fighting their own battles across decades of cinema.

The month kicks off with the sweeping western Mackenna's Gold (1969) on Thursday 2 October. Gregory Peck stars as a marshal forced to lead a gang of outlaws to a hidden canyon rumoured to be filled with gold, with Omar Sharif as the ruthless chief determined to claim it.

On Saturday 4 October comes Hitman (2007), Xavier Gens' adaptation of the best-selling video game. Timothy Olyphant plays Agent 47, a genetically engineered assassin caught between the demands of his profession and an unexpected crisis of conscience, complicated further by his bond with a mysterious woman played by Olga Kurylenko.

Dwayne Johnson takes the wheel in Faster (2010) on Sunday 5 October. Fresh out of prison, his character is on a single-minded mission to avenge his brother's death, tearing through those responsible in a relentless pursuit of justice.

Thursday 9 October sees Craig Fairbrass in London Heist (2016), a gritty British thriller about a career criminal whose father is murdered and stolen money goes missing, pushing him deep into a violent underworld of betrayal.

The pace continues on Friday 10 October with The Replacement Killers (1998). Chow Yun-Fat stars as an assassin who refuses to carry out a hit on a child, only to find himself hunted by his own employers, with Mira Sorvino as the forger who becomes his unlikely ally.

Sylvester Stallone returns in Rambo: Last Blood (2019) on Saturday 11 October. The battle-scarred veteran has retired to a quiet ranch life, but when a cartel kidnaps someone close to him, he unleashes a brutal mission across the border.

Eric Roberts fronts Hitmen (2023) on Thursday 16 October as a wealthy businessman who sets a bounty on those responsible for his grandson's death, sparking a deadly competition among the world's most dangerous killers.

Saturday 18 October brings Jason Statham in The Bank Job (2007), a heist thriller inspired by the infamous Baker Street robbery. A seemingly straightforward vault raid becomes entangled with secrets far more dangerous than money.

Antonio Banderas stars in The 13th Warrior (1999) on Sunday 19 October. Based on Michael Crichton's novel, it follows an exiled ambassador who joins a band of Norse warriors to face a terrifying, almost mythical enemy.

Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan collide in The Foreigner (2017) on Thursday 23 October. Chan plays a grieving father hunting down the terrorists responsible for his daughter's death, while Brosnan's government figure holds secrets that complicate the chase for justice.

Vin Diesel fights both alien predators and human mercenaries in Riddick (2013), airing Saturday 25 October. Left to die on a hostile planet, his only chance of survival is to trigger a beacon that attracts bounty hunters, forcing a violent showdown.

Clint Eastwood takes the lead in In the Line of Fire (1993) on Sunday 26 October. He plays a Secret Service agent haunted by his past failure to protect JFK, facing off against John Malkovich's brilliant but unhinged assassin plotting to strike again.

The month closes with Deep Rising (1998) on Friday 31 October. What begins as a luxury cruise ship hijacking spirals into survival horror when the intruders discover something monstrous lurking in the depths of the ocean.

With so many iconic names and unforgettable set-pieces, October on LEGEND promises a feast of high-stakes action every week.

TV: Sky 148 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 41 / Freesat 137