We’ve said it before, there’s a big difference between The Rock and Dwayne Johnson. This time around, Johnson is playing MMA and UFC fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine.
The Rock is a wrestler, but Johnson seems to be a fighter in The Smashing Machine.
The movie stars Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk, Marcus Aurelio, Paul Cheng, and Yoko Hamamura. Benny Safdie is writing and directing, he is known for Uncut Gems. Mark Kerr himself is serving as a writer.
The story of The Smashing Machine chronicles the rise and fall of Kerr, the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion. He was considered one of the most intimidating fighters of MMA’s early years. I wouldn’t want to fight him.
Kerr was known as the Smashing Machine for his trademark ‘ground and pound’ style. He dominated in the ring, but outside, he battled addiction to painkillers, deep anxiety, and loneliness. The movie explores his public persona and his private pain.
Johnson has put on a lot of prosthetics to look like Kerr. He’s always kept himself in shape, but he had to get to about 275 lbs and less than 5% body fat for the role. The likeness to Kerr is uncanny.
There is already talk of awards for Johnson; the word Oscar seems to keep popping up. It’s the first time he’s worked with A24, but he was reunited with Blunt, who both starred in Jungle Cruise. It’s the first time he’s been reunited with hair since Get Shorty.
The Smashing Machine releases on the 19th of October.
