One Tiny Detail About The Smashing Machine Just Made Me Even More Hyped For The Upcoming Dwayne Johnson Movie

Though Dwayne Johnson is pretty much persona non grata in WWE right now, I can’t help but feel excited for The Smashing Machine, the upcoming A24 movie about trailblazing and controversial MMA fighter Mark Kerr. The movie, which is being directed by Uncut Gems filmmaker Benny Safdie, is one of The Rock’s upcoming movies I’ve been following for a very long time, and one I’m so excited to see later in the 2025 movie schedule. And that excitement just got a whole lot more intense thanks to one minor detail.

I recently learned just how far Safdie was going in order to make The Smashing Machine as realistic, faithful, and authentic as humanly possible, and fans of old school MMA will really like to know what I found out. That said, let’s break it all down…

The Smashing Machine Has Been One Of My Most Anticipated Movies For A Long Time

I’ve been following The Smashing Machines’ development for a couple of years now, and with every release of a new picture of Dwayne Johnson as MMA fighter Mark Kerr, though somewhat unrecognizable in his depiction, I’m getting more and more excited. Basically, this has been one of my most anticipated movies for a very long time, and I cannot wait to see where it takes The Rock’s career.

And just when I couldn’t get any more hyped up for this long-awaited sports biopic, The Smashing Machine’s first trailer came out and made things even more electric. But that isn’t the only reason my excitement for this movie has reached new heights. In fact, it’s just the beginning…

But Hearing That Benny Safdie Shot The Fight Scenes Using The Same Cameras As The Old PRIDE FC Has Me Even More Hyped

A few days ago, a friend turned me onto an interview with Bas Rutten on Matt Serra’s YouTube channel, where the MMA legend talked about just how committed Benny Safdie was to getting it right. In the chat, Rutten, who worked extensively with the director and Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine, said the filmmaker went as far as to get the same cameras used by PRIDE FC back in Mark Kerr’s era:

I’m not going to lie, when I first saw the fight footage in The Smashing Machine’s trailer, I thought it was some clever editing and visual effects to give them that grainy and washed-out look. To find out that Safdie went the extra mile to make this look like the real thing instead of fixing it in post is astounding, to say the least.

The Attention To Detail In This Movie Is Going To Be Nuts, And I'm Along For The Ride

There have been some great MMA movies (Warrior is a personal favorite of mine) over the years, but after watching Bas Rutten get that excited talking about cameras on the set of the upcoming sports flick, my anticipation is through the roof. During that same interview, Rutten talked about how Benny Safdie recreated the Tokyo Dome by making the set have Japanese writing everywhere and even the same lights that were used at the PRIDE shows held at the famous stadium.

I’m sure those aren’t the only ways The Smashing Machine’s production team made the set look and feel like a real MMA show, and I can’t wait to see how all of that looks when the movie opens this fall.