(TASSAWAR NEWS) — Hollywood heavyweight Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stunned audiences at the Venice Film Festival with his deeply dramatic turn in The Smashing Machine, where he portrays former UFC legend Mark Kerr. The film, directed by Benny Safdie, had its world premiere on Monday and is already generating strong Oscar chatter.
Though formal reviews have yet to drop, festival insiders and early viewers are calling Johnson’s performance one of the most transformative of his career. Venice has long been a springboard for Academy Award contenders — with Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) both launching their winning campaigns here. Like those films, The Smashing Machine comes from indie powerhouse A24.
Festival director Alberto Barbera praised Johnson’s work, describing it as “absolutely amazing” and suggesting both Johnson and Emily Blunt — who plays Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples — could be in next year’s awards race.
“When I saw the first images back in January, I thought it could be an interesting out-of-competition film,” Barbera told the Associated Press. “But after watching it in full, I realized it’s a truly great movie.”
Kerr, nicknamed “The Smashing Machine,” was a two-time UFC heavyweight tournament champion whose career was marred by struggles with painkiller and opioid addiction, leading to multiple overdoses. His story blends triumph and tragedy — and Johnson dives into the role with raw physicality and emotional depth.
Known globally for blockbuster franchises like Fast & Furious and Jumanji, Johnson began his career as a third-generation wrestler and WWE superstar before transitioning to Hollywood. The Smashing Machine marks a striking departure from his usual action-hero persona, showcasing a vulnerability that critics say could finally earn him recognition from the Academy.
Safdie, best known for co-directing Uncut Gems with his brother Josh, said the film was crafted to give audiences an intimate sense of Kerr’s reality. “The title itself — The Smashing Machine — is almost an onomatopoeia for Mark’s life: power, destruction, but also fragility,” Safdie explained. “We wanted viewers to step inside his world, to feel what it was like to truly be Mark and Dawn.”
The movie screens in Venice’s main competition alongside Frankenstein, Bugonia, The Voice of Hind Rajab, La Grazia, and No Other Choice. Winners will be announced on September 6.
