The A24 film “The Smashing Machine” is produced by and stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. It tells the early life of former UFC legend Mark Kerr. The film digs into his personal struggles with opioid addiction, trauma and relationship problems.

Former co-star Emily Blunt plays Kerr’s partner, Dawn Staples. Both actors do a phenomenal job portraying the real-life scenes.

They really make you feel the emotion of them. Johnson’s raw emotion and vulnerability stand out compared to his other roles in past films. He also undergoes a visible transformation with prosthetics that makes him look just how Kerr did in his early days.

Blunt does an amazing job holding down this challenging role as she portrays Kerr’s partner Dawn Staples. She’s an unsupportive wife who in some way can be looked at as the antagonist of the movie.

The relationship between these two people isn’t really the best. Dawn and Kerr are constantly at each other’s heads. They argue about his trust in her and his opioid addiction.

The movie takes place between 1997 and 2000. It showcases Kerr’s first loss against Igor Vovchachyn, played by professional boxer Oleksandr Usyk.

This impact on his career was a big part of his struggles with his inner battles.

The movie does a great job with music as one of the key tones. The camera shots also contribute to this. It makes the viewer really feel the emotions and feelings of these characters.

You sense what they are going through during Kerr’s recovery. The film did a great job showing the tones of the movie. Each scene makes you feel some sort of way emotionally.

On that note, the fighting scenes weren’t the best. The boxing scene between Kerr and Vovchachyn wasn’t the greatest boxing scene in boxing movies.

The scene was very boring. It didn’t really showcase much to point out other than Kerr getting beat up. It isn’t like a “Creed” movie where the boxing scenes portray what the character is going through during the fight.

Johnson and Blunt’s scenes together are pure magic. Their argument scenes are really raw and realistic. This is especially true in the apartment scene when Dawn notices his drug abuse is getting heavier.

One of the key things in this scene was Dawn pleading for her husband to come back. She doesn’t care about his fighting or fame. She just wanted him as Kerr again.

The best half of the movie would be past the first hour since that’s when the drama starts picking up.

The movie dives deeper into their complex relationship. It explores how they are with each other. Dawn isn’t the best support for Kerr, especially during his rehab. She’s out getting drunk with friends and throwing it in his face. In this scene I really did feel the disappointment and anger Johnson portrayed on screen.

The way the scene plays out and the way the camera pans from character to character makes it feel like you’re almost a part of the argument.

This includes everything from Dawn Staples breaking Kerr’s souvenir from Japan to her wanting to take her own life.

Overall, “The Smashing Machine” was a really great movie to watch. I would say it’s more of a drama movie with lots of sadness. It doesn’t showcase what a typical sports movie would.

This one dives into the struggles of mental health and drug abuse in professionals.