'The Smashing Machine', excellent Dwayne Johnson in a successful sports drama
Two highly anticipated films arrive in theatres: Benny Safdie's new feature film and Michel Franco's 'Dreams
A sports biopic is the star of the weekend in theatres: it is 'The Smashing Machine', a film centred on a few years in the life of mixed martial arts and Ultimate Fighting Championship legend Mark Kerr, and the first solo effort behind the camera for Benny Safdie, after the many films he made with his brother Josh (among which the excellent 'Rough Diamonds' should be mentioned in particular).
The film opens in the late 1990s, when the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) was still a wild and unforgiving arena and Kerr dominated the ring with uncommon power. But behind the armour of the invincible athlete hides a fragile man, tormented by deep fears, addictions and a desperate need to prove himself. Beside him is Dawn, the woman he loves but struggles to understand, drawn into a vortex of tension, sacrifice and self-destruction.
As fame grows, Mark sees everything he has built crumble
While the starting story may be reminiscent of other great films of the past - such as Martin Scorsese's 'Raging Bull' or Darren Aronofsky's 'The Wrestler' - 'The Smashing Machine' nevertheless has its own strong identity, which goes beyond the classic rise and fall paths we are used to in sports films of this type.
What interests Safdie above all is to tell the intimate side of the character, his inner frailties, his complicated relationship with his partner, his friendship with one of his colleagues: this last aspect is among those best investigated in a script that speaks a lot about human relationships and uses the ring as a metaphor for life itself;
Some uncertainty in a touching film
Some passages of the script are a little too predictable and the film suffers from some slight dramaturgical uncertainties, in relation to the type of road the film wants to follow, but Safdie's staging and several moments of very strong humanity make it a touching product nonetheless, capable of digging deep into the character's psychology thanks to extremely delicate directorial choices.
