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 ...

‘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 ...

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 ...

Emily Blunt co-stars in the true story of Mark Kerr, a former college wrestler who battled trauma and drug addiction during the early years of the UFC. By Jordan Mintzer Sticks, stones, body blows and ...

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 ...

Dwayne Johnson has been known worldwide as "The Rock," one of the greatest wrestlers the sport has ever seen. He also began to switch to a movie star in the early 2000s, and has since taken the world ...

Stay on top of what’s happening in the Bay Area with essential Bay Area news stories, sent to your inbox every weekday. See Senior Director of TV Programming Meredith Speight’s recommendations from ...

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, ...