Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is making his way towards an upcoming A24 movie that may have him going back to his wrestling roots, but in a totally unrecognizable way. He’ll be portraying MMA fighter Mark Kerr in his A24 biopic The Smashing Machine, which gives us a deep look at the man behind the jabs. However, its director, Benny Safdie, gets real about one aspect of his new movie that he was “obsessed” with while making it, and now I’m even more pumped.
The best sports movies that have won over audiences in the past were about overcoming the odds of beating your opponent, like in Rocky, The Karate Kid, Bring It On, and more. But when Benny Safdie is behind the camera, you’ll be expected to get a completely different viewing experience within the genre. Just when I thought I couldn’t get more pumped for The Smashing Machine, the indie director got real with Empire about one particular element he was “obsessed” with nailing for the MMA flick:
I was really obsessed with radical empathy. I wanted to make a really honest movie about what it means to compete and to feel that. [The audience] just see you as this big guy, strong guy — they don’t know that you’re struggling with anything else. It can be very lonely.
I’m already awestruck by Benny Safdie’s dedication to delve into the mind of Mark Kerr, just like the HBO documentary did. The award-winning director and his brother Joshua have never been ones to shy away from making audiences feel what the characters feel.
The Safdie Brothers’ anxiety-inducing movies like Good Time and Uncut Gems kept your heart racing with non-stop pacing and living inside the psychological pressure of each character. As Mark Kerr went through the inner turmoil of painkiller addiction and fulfilling expectations, I have no doubts that Benny Safdie’s solo project will pull audiences in that same suffocating tension to feel “radical empathy” for Dwayne Johnson’s character.
The Independent Spirit Award nominee learned from Mark Kerr’s HBO documentary that the athlete audiences saw was different than the person dealing with his own inner battles. At the same time, that revelation Safdie said was what lured him into making a movie about the former amateur wrestler’s state of mind for his next project:
As soon as I saw it, I completely connected with Mark. There was something about him. He’s so soft spoken, so gentle, and the way he used words was really beautiful — it was such a contradiction to the stereotype.
With sports movies portraying the tough, rugged athlete trope, it would be a nice change of pace to see Benny Safdie’s athletic subject show a different side to being a competitor. In fact, that’s also what drew Dwayne Johnson to the lead role in taking on a challenging character in a way he’s never done before. To peel back the sports bravado and introduce audiences to a struggling champion, you can’t pass up an opportunity like that.
As the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion underwent fights that went beyond getting in shape and winning titles, but the human cost behind every victory. With Kerr locked in a battle against his own demons, Benny Safdie spoke about having to explore this theme in his 2025 movie release:
I think it’s an important human emotion to study. I always loved seeing somebody try, truly try, to do something. Because when you see them trying, they’re very vulnerable.
Now, that’s how you portray the story of a real athlete. Critics for The Smashing Machine were all in agreement that the bio-drama successfully dove into the human behind the “machine” of a man displayed before us. As someone who’s a fan of psychological dramas, I’m more than ready to see a sports flick where the emotional battles of an athlete have as much intensity as any physical pressures.
Just when I already added The Smashing Machine to my watchlist for Dwayne Johnson’s transformative performance, I’m even more pumped knowing its director brought his unique “radical empathy” flavor to the sports genre. Feeling every struggle, triumph, and flaw Mark Kerr faced in his life is enough for me to want to see this movie during its opening week. If you’re feeling the hype as well, Safdie’s upcoming A24 movie hits theaters on October 3rd.
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