The only thing that the breaking machine is different from all other sports films

Beware, this article contains major spoilers For “The Smashing Machine”, in theaters now.

From “Rocky” to “Rush”, so many sports films, whether it are boxing, race or a number of sports competitions, often concern the glory of victory and the difficult trip to get there. But from time to time, which initially seems that a typical sporting film goes against the grain and digs a little more beyond the final triumph. In fact, sometimes the film is better when the athlete we watched ends up losing. “The Smashing Machine” is one of these films.

Benny Safdie’s biographical sports drama “The Smashing Machine” follows Dwayne Johnson giving a performance worthy of the Oscars while Mark Kerr, an amateur wrestler, who has become a combatant of mixed martial arts (MMA) at a time when intense sport had not yet acted to make massive money offers for those who have punches and kicks in the octogle arena. The MMA fighting sport was considered barbaric, and during Kerr’s time as a fighter, the US-Tournament Championship (the best tournament in the United States) was prohibited in 36 states. This meant that Kerr often went to Japan to fight in major tournaments; He was not a familiar name like Conor McGregor or Georges St. Stones.

For the most part, “The Smashing Machine” follows a trajectory similar to many sports films. We look at Kerr training hard for his fights, he has an unstable relationship with his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt), his undefeated assessment is beaten with his first loss, and above all, throughout all of this, he is addicted to opioid pain relievers because of the agonizing toll fights on his body.

Safdie does not give Mark Kerr a triumphant rise of his low points. When Kerr loses a potentially fight that changed the life that could have earned him $ 200,000, it is not a happy ending. However, what is interesting is that the drama that has led to this does not strike the same peaks and valleys as many other sports films have crossed in the past. Instead, Kerr is mainly presented as a normal guy, and “The Smashing Machine” ends up not being on glory.

Instead of a biopic that defines the career on an emblematic athlete, “The Smashing Machine” consists in showing Mark Kerr as a normal guy who has undergone essays and average tribulations and came out on the other side. He subverts what you expect from any other film of this kind.

After Kerr’s first defeat, he spiriton with his dependence and has a temporary separation of dawn. Kerr overcomes his drug addiction and there is no dramatic relapse. We are witnessing some intense arguments, including one where Dawn threatens to shoot himself, but that does not degenerate beyond that. However, there is no triumphant return either. Kerr trains for the next big fight, but instead, his best friend and coach Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader) will win $ 200,000. It should be noted that we also see Coleman living an even more trivial life with his wife and daughter.

It could make the film boring or without consequences for certain viewers, but I think that is the point. Kerr endured a combat career which was once promising, and he won his just part of tournaments, but it ended up sparkling over the years. Although he can undoubtedly be proud of what he has accomplished, the result was that Kerr not being different from anyone who surmounts their own demons and settles in a regular life.

Indeed, the end of the film does what so many adaptations of real stories have done: it shows the real Mark Kerr grocery store for itself. Meanwhile, Text explains what happened with his career and his relationship with Dawn. They ended up getting married, had a son and divorced. Kerr fought until 2009, but he only won two out of nine fights during the 10 years following the major loss represented in “The Smashing Machine”. The goal of this moment goes beyond assimilating the real man with the version we have just seen on the screen played by Dwayne Johnson.

This is where the intention of the film becomes clear. An additional text underlines that Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman have never really received recognition that today’s MMA fighters obtained; Some of the biggest fans in sport did not even know their names. After that, we watch Kerr pack his grocery products in his truck, sometimes mumbling and laughing for himself something he observed in the store parking lot. Finally, he recognizes the cameras, the waves and says goodbye. He could be the father of anyone just at the grocery store on a Sunday.

It was not until June 2025, largely because of “The Smashing Machine”, that Mark Kerr was inducted into the temple of renown of the UFC within the framework of the wing of the Pioneer of the Promotion. Dwayne Johnson presented it during the enthronement ceremony and presented him with the honor. Otherwise, Kerr’s fame was almost nonexistent in the 21st century.

“The Smashing Machine” is the English translation of Mark Kerr’s combat nickname, “Máquina de Bater”, which he received from Tatame Magazine in Brazil. Although it may seem a little hokey, the real breaking machine can be the world of MMA fights, a sport that beats many competitors in submission but only gives a few of them the glory they are looking for.

“The Smashing Machine” is now playing in theaters.