The Smashing Machine (2025 film)
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Get ready for a knockout! In 2025, Benny Safdie delivers a powerful biographical sports drama: The Smashing Machine. Starring Dwayne Johnson as the legendary former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, this film dives deep into a career defined by grit and determination. He's joined by Emily Blunt as Kerr's wife, Dawn Staples, and an incredible supporting cast including Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk.
The Smashing Machine made its grand entrance at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2025, earning the prestigious Silver Lion. Get ready for its US release by A24 on October 3, 2025, a film already garnering rave reviews from critics.
The star-studded cast features Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr and Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples. Ryan Bader steps in as Mark Coleman, while Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk portray themselves and Igor Vovchanchyn respectively. The film also boasts Lyndsey Gavin, Satoshi Ishii, James Moontasri, Yoko Hamamura, Stephen Quadros, Paul Cheng, Cyborg Abreu, Andre Tricoteux, Marcus Aurélio, Whitney Moore, Paul Lazenby, Olga Dzyurak, Eric Odbaatar, Zoe Kosovic, James Romero, Nick Toren, and Nala Sinephro.
Production kicked off in December 2023 with A24, Benny Safdie at the helm, and Dwayne Johnson leading the charge. On the red carpet, Johnson confirmed Emily Blunt's integral role as Kerr's wife. May 2024 saw Lyndsey Gavin, Oleksandr Usyk, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Zoe Kosovic join the ensemble. Filming spanned from May 21 to August 7, 2024, across New Mexico, Tokyo, and Vancouver, with Belgian musician Nala Sinephro set to compose the evocative score.
The first trailer for The Smashing Machine dropped on April 29, 2025, building anticipation for its September 1st world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. It also captivated audiences at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8th, before its theatrical release in the US and Canada on October 3, 2025.
Critics are weighing in, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting 75% positive reviews. The consensus highlights Dwayne Johnson's transformative performance as Mark Kerr in this gritty biopic, a film that delivers dramatic body blows and sidesteps cliché. Metacritic awards it a score of 69 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews. Benny Safdie himself was honored with the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival, a testament to the film's powerful vision.
The Smashing Machine is a 2025 American biographical sports drama film written, directed, co-produced, and edited by Benny Safdie. It stars Dwayne Johnson as former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, alongside Emily Blunt as Kerr's then-wife Dawn Staples, with Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk in supporting roles.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2025, where it won the Silver Lion. It is set to be released in the United States by A24 on October 3, 2025. The film received positive reviews from critics.
== Cast ==
Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr
Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples
Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman
Bas Rutten as himself
Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn
Lyndsey Gavin as Elizabeth Coleman
Satoshi Ishii as Enson Inoue
James Moontasri as Akira Shoji
Yoko Hamamura as Kazuyuki Fujita
Stephen Quadros as himself
Paul Cheng as Masaaki Satake
Cyborg Abreu as Fábio Gurgel
Andre Tricoteux as Paul Varelans
Marcus Aurélio as Mestre Hulk
Whitney Moore as Jacqueline
Paul Lazenby as Hans Nijman
Olga Dzyurak as Vovchanchyn's Translator
Eric Odbaatar as Pride FC Cornerman
Zoe Kosovic as McKenzie Coleman
James Romero as Ring Valet
Nick Toren as 1997 UFC Another Interviewer
Nala Sinephro as National Anthem Performer
== Production ==
In December 2023, it was announced that a biographical sports drama film based on the life and career of Mark Kerr was in development at A24, with Benny Safdie writing and directing and Dwayne Johnson starring. On the red carpet for 96th Academy Awards, Johnson confirmed that Emily Blunt would star in the film as Kerr's wife Dawn Staples. Lyndsey Gavin, Oleksandr Usyk, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Zoe Kosovic joined the cast in May 2024.
Principal photography ran from May 21 to August 7, 2024, spanning locations such as New Mexico, Tokyo, and Vancouver. Later that year, Johnson tweeted that Belgian musician Nala Sinephro would compose the score.
== Release ==
The first trailer for The Smashing Machine was released on April 29, 2025. The film had its world premiere in competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2025. It also screened at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2025. It is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States and Canada on October 3, 2025.
== Reception ==
=== Critical response ===
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 72 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Dwayne Johnson goes the distance with his transformative turn as Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, a gritty biopic that sidesteps cliché even at the expense of narrative satisfaction while still landing the dramatic body blows that count." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Safdie was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival following its world premiere.
=== Accolades ===
== See also ==
List of mixed martial arts films
== References ==
== External links ==
The Smashing Machine at IMDb
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