Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
In the late 1990s, up-and-coming mixed martial artist Mark Kerr aspires to become the greatest fighter in the world. However, he must also battle his opioid dependence and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend Dawn.
The Smashing Machine (2025) is a biographical sports drama covering well-trodden territory — the rise-and-fall athlete struggling with addiction and personal turmoil. Acting appears to be the standout, with committed performances carrying the emotional weight of Kerr's story. The cinematography is competent but unremarkable for the genre. The plot follows a predictable arc familiar from countless sports biopics and addiction narratives, offering little structural surprise. Novelty suffers because the MMA-addiction-biography combination, while specific in subject, fits squarely into an established formula without a distinctive cinematic voice to set it apart. The ending, grounded in real events, provides closure but not revelation.