Dwayne Johnson Smashes His Way To The Top In New Trailer For The Smashing Machine

A24 has released a new trailer for the upcoming sports biopic The Smashing Machine, which you can watch below!

The film garnered huge acclaim after its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival, and its debut last night (Monday) at the this year’sToronto International Film Festival, with stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt now being talked about for awards this awards season, as well as writer/director Benny Safdie, who co-directed Uncut Gems and Good Time with brother Josh.

From TIFF’s Website:

In one of the year’s most surprising pairings, Dwayne Johnson and indie icon Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems, TIFF ’19) team up in The Smashing Machine, the powerful story of pioneering mixed martial arts/UFC fighter Mark Kerr. Kerr helped grow the sport’s popularity in its early days, but the fights’ brutal demands took a toll, eventually leading to painkiller addiction. The constant need to travel, since the most lucrative early matches were always in Japan, didn’t help either.

Superficially, Safdie and his star seem to be playing against expectations, but once you dig deeper there are clear career through lines. Johnson is, of course, known for the humour he brings to action films. A similar schism is evident in Kerr’s soft-spoken manner. He was gigantic, but his demeanour belied the intense furor of the sport. Johnson gives an eye-opening performance, abetted by Emily Blunt as Dawn, Kerr’s devoted partner, tormented by the price he pays.

The story is told in a quasi-documentary style, reminiscent of the hyperrealistic approach of the Safdie brothers’ groundbreaking Good Time and Uncut Gems. And all of the actors enthusiastically buy into the documentary tone. That sense of realism is buoyed by the presence of a slew of MMA legends like Bas Rutten and Ryan Bader, and there’s even a cameo from Kerr himself.

But perhaps the film’s greatest virtue is the way it upends the well-worn, familiar conventions of its genre. In its grit, its documentary feel, and its raw honesty, The Smashing Machine is a sports film unlike any other.

You can watch the new trailer below:

The Smashing Machine opens in UK cinemas on October 3rd via Entertainment Film Distributors. 

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Scott J. Davis

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Newly appointed Editor of The People's Movies at the start of 2025, Scott has over 13 years of experience as a film writer and critic, writing for such sites as Digital Spy, Sci-Fi Now, Yahoo Movies UK, Flickering Myth and more. He has also been a interviewer and red carpet reporter for HeyUGuys since 2016, where he has attended hundreds of junkets and premieres, interviewing a range of talent from Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Jennifer Lawrence, Samuel L. Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, Martin Scorsese, Jim Carrey, Emily Blunt and many more.

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