The Smashing Machine (2025)

2 reviews

This review contains spoilers.

I've never seen a sports movie quite like this. It follows very few conventions and lets you in on the character of Mark in such a personal way that you can't help but root for him. It never shies away from his flaws, either. You get all of him, like it or not. I appreciated the minimal editing and slower pacing so I could get time to really digest everything without all that noise. I love how he is written as a gentle giant and destroys his opponents in an almost cartoonish way. He is a vibrant character that dominates every scene he's in. Mark and Dawn's characters are great and add a lot to the story, too. In a strange way, this movie's down-to-earth vibe comforted me. I highly recommend giving it a watch for its unique take on Mark's life as well as its impressive display of the wrestling sport.

6 months ago

This review contains spoilers.

After watching Marty Supreme it became clear to me that Josh Safdie was more responsible for Good Time and Uncut Gems than Benny was. If you told me that both Josh and Benny directed Marty then I would’ve believed you, but it seems that Josh was the real mind behind the duo all along. It’s his style that’s big, stressful, and nightmarish. Benny was credited but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was only Josh who directed Gems and GT. I was eager to see what kind of movie Benny would make without his brother, perhaps the style would be similar or the movie would be bland. Instead I was surprised with a movie that shares some similarities with Josh’s movies but stands out with its overall chill and ethereal vibe. This movie feels more like a day dream as opposed to the nightmare that is Marty Supreme. Watching Johnson’s character grapple with addiction and identity loss was fascinating. Johnson gives a career best performance in this movie, he sells the fact that his character is a gentle giant. The music is fitting, the editing is interesting, the sound design is beautiful, the fight scenes are engaging, etc. I feel like his relationship with his girlfriend and the world of the UFC could’ve been more developed, it feels like the story is lacking. Given this is Benny’s first solo outing however, I would call this movie a great debut and I’m excited to see more from him.

8 months ago