The wrestler became a Hollywood superstar and became vulnerable about mixed martial arts fights in this batting indie drama. He is “impressive” and could potentially be nominated for an award.
Dwayne Johnson can’t use his wrestling nickname in his film credits, but he still feels appropriate to call him Rock every time he’s on the big screen. That’s how sturdy he is. Not only can his heroic characters shrug the punishment that crushes the rest of us, but they can also smirk pearly white while they do so. Johnson’s Hollywood career is based on the impression that he cannot destroy. The Smashing Machine, premiered at today’s Venice Film Festival, is the first opportunity for a rock to collapse.
The delicate film, an art-house drama adaptation of the 2002 HBO documentary, tells the true story of Mark Carr, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who was a pioneer in bloody, violent sports in the years before the champion became rich and famous. Johnson is probably the only actor who can play Kerr with a compelling attitude. His towering appearance poses the question of why Marvel used CGI for the Hulk in the Avengers film, as his huge, sculpted bulk fills the screen and has his hair completely for the change. If they just painted Johnson Bright Green, they could have saved themselves a lot.
But it’s a mountainous area where its protagonist is visible, and, well, like a rock, this downbeat indie film is about someone who can get hurt physically and emotionally. In the opening sequence set in 1997, Kerr unleashes youthful confidence as he slams his enemy’s face into the pulp. (“Knee on the face” and marvel at the commentator. “Grand knee on the face!”) But when the smashing machine jumped in 1999, the violence of the year was already at a loss.
Because MMA is not yet a sensation in the US, Kerr is playing much of the battle in Japan. There he feels lonely and alienated. Some scenes redol the lost translation in Sofia Coppola’s translation. The slog, traveling between Japan in Arizona and his home, leads to discussions with his girlfriend Dawn, played by Emily Blunt (the film is a stark contrast to Johnson and Blunt’s final team-up in 2021, Disney’s Jungle Cruise). And he sweetens the pharmacist, gives him a stronger and stronger drug, partially dulling the pain of all those punches to his head, partially approximating the “best and best” he feels when he wins the match. He ended without the loyal support of his best friend Mark Coleman (real MMA star Ryan Bader), but there is a prospect that, as both Marks are MMA fighters, they must always assault each other in the ring.
Source: BBC Culture – www.bbc.com
