A24’s new MMA biopic The Smashing Machine, directed by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Mark Kerr, has landed in theaters. Based in part on the 2002 documentary, it attempts to ...

I’ve made no secret of my frustration with how stale Dwayne Johnson has been as an actor in recent years, especially when it came to duds like Red One and Black Adam. His box office stardom isn’t as ...

There’s a scene somewhere in the middle of The Smashing Machine that involves a knife, a cactus and a mild disagreement. It’s a light argument plenty of the audience will be familiar with. It’s likely ...

Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” isn’t what you think it is, especially if you think it’s a movie about a British guy who thinks his typewriter is the tops. “The Smashing Machine” would seem to ...

‘The Smashing Machine’ is Dwayne Johnson’s attempt at Oscar-level respect as an actor, with director Benny Safdie doing his best to get the Rock there. Not nearly as pleasurably anxiety-inducing as ...

Welcome to the world of Mark Kerr. Welcome to a world of pain. He inflicts it. He absorbs it. He’s defined by it in “The Smashing Machine.” He’s a mountain of a man. Hulking. Battered. Tattered. On an ...

Benny Safdie wants to challenge our expectations of the traditional sports movie. His first solo directorial outing without his brother Josh, “The Smashing Machine” is a biopic that zigs when you ...

“The Smashing Machine” recounts the success and struggles of Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Mark Kerr. Relying on his own professional wrestling background, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gives a ...

Credits: Directed by Benny Safdie, starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Lindsey Gavin and Oleksandr Usyk. Rating/runtime: R for language and some drug abuse; 123 minutes. How ...