I Wasn't The Smashing Machine's Biggest Fan, But There's Something I Can't Stop Thinking About

I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Smashing Machine. Though the 2025 movie features one of Dwayne Johnson’s best performances (at least his most transformative), I felt like Benny Safdie’s biopic about Mark Kerr was lacking when it came to story and plot. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was a great story of sacrifice and redemption and featured some of the best-written characters I’ve seen in a long time, but at times it felt like something was missing.

However, there is something I haven’t been able to stop thinking about ever since I saw the movie a little more than a week ago, and that is Safdie’s unparalleled attention to detail. I spent way too much time looking into this aspect of the movie before its release, and yet I was still blown away. Let me explain…

The Attention To Detail Throughout The Smashing Machine Blew Me Away

It’s a shame that so few people went out to see The Smashing Machine during its opening weekend, because it’s damn good. Though I didn’t fall head over heels with Benny Safdie’s first solo directorial effort since he and brother Josh went their separate ways, I can’t sit here and act like I hated the movie, either. I could go on and on about my issues with the emotionally-charged biopic, but I think I’d rather spend my energy championing Safdie’s unmatched attention to detail.

First, the way he and his team recreated those old UFC and Pride fights from the late ‘90s and early 2000s could honestly be part of a course at film school about the importance of detailed production design. How he used the same cameras, rings and octagons, and lighting rigs used back then to make The Smashing Machine look less like a movie and more like a documentary (more on that next) is bonkers. At times, I forgot I was watching Dwayne Johnson play Mark Kerr instead of watching the trailblazing MMA icon pound in opponents’ faces.

Then there is the fashion on display throughout. Watching this movie brought back so many memories of turn-of-the-21st-century fashion, with that bright yellow Nautica sweater Johnson’s character was wearing and all the “Bad Boy” and “Air Jordan” branding on display. The team did their research, and it paid off.

Also, The Way Benny Safdie Made The Smashing Machine Look And Feel Like A Documentary Did Not Go Unnoticed

Not only did I appreciate Safdie’s attention to detail when it came to the fights and fashion, I also couldn’t get enough of the way he made the movie look and feel just like the documentary on which it was based. The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr came out on HBO back in 2002 (though it’s not currently available with an HBO Max subscription), and was a gritty, grainy, and powerful exploration of Kerr during the height of his career.

Safdie and director of photography Maceo Bishop not only attempted, but actually pulled off the heart, soul, and brutality of the must-watch sports documentary in a way that did not go unnoticed by me, and hopefully everyone else who’s seen it. During the fights, characters would get in the way of a shot as if it were a real contest. This was also the case during some of the more intense moments shared by Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt’s Dawn Staples, which only added to the tension and immersive nature of the film.

The way that Safdie put his heart and soul into telling Kerr’s story with such a great level of authority and authenticity helps me overlook many of the lingering issues I may have with The Smashing Machine.