To sum it up in three lines: The Smashing Machine is the film that will rewrite the history of Dwayne Johnson’s acting career. The Smashing Machine might even earn Dwayne Johnson an Oscar nomination. The Smashing Machine is good, but Dwayne Johnson is great. The film follows American former wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr as he navigates the first loss in his career (later decided to be a no-contest) after a two-year unbeaten streak from 1997 to 1999. This coincides with the peak of Kerr’s opioid addiction and relationship troubles with his doting yet manipulative girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt). Kerr, by comparison, is a total softie and one hell of a watchable protagonist. Johnson absolutely nails his slightly odd composure and ultra-specific cadence, making him incredibly likeable and empathetic.-London Evening Standard

“Safdie’s film is rather a sweet duet between a remarkably unembellished Johnson and a blazingly good, blue-collar and freshly blown-out Emily Blunt as his codependent girlfriend and eventual wife Dawn Staples-Kerr.”-IndieWire