Benny Safdie’s solo directorial debut, The Smashing Machine, is shaping up to be one of the year’s most talked-about films. After earning him the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival and giving Dwayne Johnson the strongest reviews of his career, the new trailer now gives audiences a closer look at Johnson’s startling transformation, per AVClub. Gone is the larger-than-life Rock persona. Instead, Johnson steps into the skin of real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr, a man whose dominance inside the cage hides a fragile battle outside of it.
In the footage, Johnson is nearly unrecognizable. Slimmed down and covered in prosthetics, he swaps his trademark bravado for a quiet vulnerability. His version of Kerr delivers soft-spoken complaints about stomach pains in one moment, then unleashes ferocious knees in the octagon the next. That contrast drives the heart of Safdie’s story, which follows Kerr’s struggles with addiction, fame, and the toll of a punishing lifestyle. For Johnson, long branded as Hollywood’s action juggernaut, this role signals a range that critics are already calling career-defining.
Emily Blunt’s vital presence
While the first teaser leaned heavily on Johnson’s shocking physical shift, this second trailer highlights Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples, Kerr’s ex-wife and partner through his darkest chapters. Blunt injects the film with emotional weight, grounding the violence of the sport in the fragility of human connection. Her presence broadens the scope of The Smashing Machine, positioning it as more than just a fight biopic. It is a portrait of resilience, love, and the consequences of chasing greatness at any cost.
Critics at Venice described the film as raw, intimate, and surprisingly gentle for a story built around cage fighting. Safdie’s lens avoids glorifying the brutality, instead presenting a man fighting two opponents at once, the competitor across from him and the demons within. With powerhouse performances from both Dwayne Johnson and Blunt, and A24 behind the release, the project already feels primed for awards season chatter.
Audiences will get their chance to see it when The Smashing Machine hits theaters on October 3.
