Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s acting career has largely been left to being as commercially viable as humanly possible. Rarely anything that requires range or might cause the performer to come off as unlikeable could be considered. Johnson has stuck to massive action blockbusters, with an occasional turn in a live action children’s movie, and then recently, a singing demigod in a Disney musical. While he’s a magnetic screen presence, both in terms of charm and physicality, the choices left plenty to be desired when it comes to range. There’s a meme out there showcasing The Rock in a light colored shirt against a jungle backdrop, the title of the image revealing the truth, “these are four different films.”

So it was a delight when we found out that Dwayne was teaming up with Benny Safdie, who while directing with his brother Josh, created two cult hits with Good Time and Uncut Gems. Much like Benny’s prior two films, the UFC fighter biopic that Dwayne would be starring in, titled The Smashing Machine, would be produced by the similarly beloved A24. And we’d get to see Benny Safdie direct without his brother which is interesting in and of itself. It seemed we were finally going to get a performance from Dwayne that was more than him cracking a few jokes as he punches a CGI yeti.

And that is largely true, The Smashing Machine showcases acting talent that we have not seen a lot of from the former WWE wrestlers as he portrays Mark Kerr, a dominant force in the early days of UFC as he jets back and forth to Japan to battle it out and hopefully grow the sport into what it would become today. Dwayne Johnson is joined by his one time Jungle Cruise costar Emily Blunt, playing Mark’s girlfriend in the picture. Both performances are flashy, each character having their own vices as they attempt to make a living out of a sport that’s not quite to the point where their troubles melt away simply by Kerr taking a few fists to the face.

The highlight is Johnson’s work in the film. He backs up the bulk of the role with a similarly massive body, probably the biggest we’ve ever seen him on screen. The footage of his fights are usually shot by hand, on a crackly feed that takes us back to the days of 2004, before high def had really hit the scene. Seeing The Rock bash the head of whoever he’s fighting until they give in is unsettling. Hearing him smile and talk about how much respect he has for the man he just demolished is an odd juxtaposition, but one that Johnson performs flawlessly. Kerr feels like an interesting and sometimes strange guy, still likeable in a way that Dwayne can pull off, but more complicated than many of his other performances. Although there is a slight possibility I prefer his work in Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain to this.

Blunt is a bonfire in the movie, playing Dawn Staples, Mark’s longtime girlfriend. We see her in several modes from nurturing and worried as she helps Kerr navigate an addictive prescription drug problem, to petty and jealous of Mark’s new found happiness after he becomes sober. Blunt doesn’t have quite as much screentime as Johnson, but she makes it count when she’s on screen. Dawn is perhaps not given enough to do in the picture, but she’d feel much more shallow without the work that Emily Blunt is putting in.

The film is stylish and the leads are solid, but the issue lies at the heart of the story. While Mark Kerr is an interesting guy, and the early days of UFC are not without their drama there’s just not as much happening to drive the story home. Kerr successfully navigates a drug problem, and gets himself back to Japan to attempt to fight again. That right there is a bulk of the story. And it does feel like there is more to tell about this man who battled literal battles alongside addiction to come out the other end. It feels like the script is holding itself back for some reason, and a talent like Benny Safdie should be able to tell this story. While it’s certainly worth seeing for Dwayne and Emily alone the script winds up feeling a little shallow as the film comes to a close, even with everything else being equal.

3.5/5