Contact sports have fascinating stories waiting to be told. It is not surprising that literature and cinema have many stories where boxing is the protagonist and we should not be surprised that, in the near future, there will be great stories about MMA. Because the moment a contact sport becomes popular, stories that resonate with the audience always emerge.
Or that’s what Benny Safdie and Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock, must have thought. Because although their new movie may not have made the splash they expected, it just arrived this week on streaming and you shouldn’t miss it, because it is, without a doubt, one of the big surprises of 2025.
A pioneer of MMA
The movie is a biopic of the fighter Mark Kerr, who was a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, world champion of the Vale Tudo tournament, and competitor in PRIDE FC. Although his greatest achievements were in the mid-90s, the film begins in 1999, fighting in Japan, and in a more than questionable state due to drug use. From this point on, the film will focus on that. How a fighter who was at the top of the world tries to rehabilitate from his drug addiction caused by the intensity of the sport in a new setting, with much tougher competitors, while trying to do something even harder: maintain his relationship with his girlfriend.
Putting a great emphasis on the drama of the story, we never see Kerr at the moment of the greatest victories of his career, but we do see some of the most defining elements of it. Although we never see him fight in the UFC in the movie, his time in PRIDE would ultimately shape what MMA is today, making him a legend and a milestone in the sport. All of this is thanks to two things: the excellent work of its actors and its director.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the movie is Johnson’s outstanding performance as Kerr. He is not only believable as an MMA fighter, but he also manages to convey emotion and vulnerability, knowing how to appear fragile when necessary, in a way that is both interesting and inspiring. This is aided by having Emily Blunt opposite him as Dawn Staples, Kerr’s real-life partner, who carries the dramatic weight of many scenes and emphasizes the more personal side of the film.
That is perhaps the most surprising thing. How incredibly human it is and feels for a movie about MMA built around a figure like The Rock. But that is also, in part, thanks to the work of its director, Benny Safdie.
A likely future cult movie
There have been many controversies and conflicts following the separation of the Safdie brothers, and in 2025 both released films separately. Josh, Marty Supreme; Benny, The Smashing Machine. And both demonstrate very different approaches. Because while there is a certain family resemblance between the two, if anything The Smashing Machine shows us, and in a way also Marty Supreme, is that the emotional factor of the Safdie films has always relied more on Benny, much more and better exploited in his film than in his brother’s.
That does not mean it has been a great success. On the contrary. Being a box office failure, making just over 20 million dollars while costing 50, and with a lukewarm critical response at best, even if it has not done poorly in international awards, with Benny Safdie nominated for the Golden Lion and winning the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the film has gone unnoticed by both critics and audiences.
Available on HBO Max since April 9, this is the perfect movie to reclaim. One of those movies that, with the right mindset, is not only enjoyable but also allows you to appreciate the genius behind it. Vibrant, intelligent, and full of heart, it has everything to become a cult film. Especially due to the poor treatment it has received from critics and the public.
