The Smashing Machine

"The Smashing Machine is expected to be the biggest film of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's career -- at least until 2025. The star, who has been collecting millions in box office receipts, finally leaves behind his fast-paced action films and embraces the challenging role of Mark Kerr, one of the UFC's pioneers. It's a biopic that walks a tightrope between the traditional and the inventive. After all, on the one hand, it's truly a film that focuses on telling the fighter's story, showing the challenges of the beginnings of this sport, as well as the challenges of his career. However, the excellent work of director Benny Safdie (in his first solo work, after sharing credit with his brother on films like Uncut Gems) also helps to give the story a different tone. In other hands, Kerr could be a new Rocky Balboa, for example. But, in Safdie's hands, he becomes an imperfect man, caught between drug addiction and emotional turmoil, trying to find a safe haven in this career as uncertain as the paths of his life."