The new movie The Smashing Machine gives Dwayne Johnson his first truly transformative role, one that has already earned him early Oscar buzz. Critics shared their thoughts on the Mark Kerr biopic ...

Anytime he dips even a toe into a role outside his comfort zone, critics fall all over themselves to tell you that you’ve never seen Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson like this before. Well, I’ve seen “The ...

In the opening scene of “The Smashing Machine,” Benny Safdie’s bracing, clear-eyed, and laceratingly humane sports biopic, we see grainy staged video footage of Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson), the mixed ...

It’s hard to say writer-director Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine is bad. It’s certainly well-made. It also sounds amazing. Most importantly, it features a genuinely outstanding lead performance ...

The new A24 drama The Smashing Machine starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson represents more than another sports biopic. It delivers a raw and emotional retelling of one of the most fascinating lives in ...

LIDO, Venice, Italy – The violence, both in the ring and at home, is crushing in “The Smashing Machine,” a biopic of UFC fighting champ Mark Kerr whose highs and lows weren’t all in the Cage. Dwayne ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Simon is a Los Angeles-based journalist who covers film and TV. Although biographical sports drama The Smashing Machine is based ...

The Smashing Machine (2025) Film Review from the 50th Annual Toronto International Film Festival, a movie directed and written by Benny Safdie, and starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Lyndsey Gavin, ...

It’s clobbering time for The Rock in The Smashing Machine, the new biopic about MMA fighter Mark Kerr, which opens in theaters this weekend. There’s no one better to play a ...

Mixed martial arts is a style of full-contact fighting that combines techniques and styles from various sports, including wrestling, judo and jiu-jitsu — you get the picture. All of these sports have ...

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as MMA pioneer Mark Kerr in the new film "The Smashing Machine." Critics are praising Johnson's performance as a significant departure from his previous roles, ...