Before he was Dwayne Johnson the biggest movie star in the world, both literally and figuratively, he was “The Rock,” a third-generation pro wrestler for the WWF and WWE. Johnson only wrestled ...

I’ve made no secret of my frustration with how stale Dwayne Johnson has been as an actor in recent years, especially when it came to duds like Red One and Black Adam. His box office stardom isn’t as ...

What does it take to be the best? It’s a question that engulfed UFC fighter Mark Kerr in the ring in the late 90s, a perfect record that came at the cost of personal woes. And it’s clearly on the mind ...

There’s a scene somewhere in the middle of The Smashing Machine that involves a knife, a cactus and a mild disagreement. It’s a light argument plenty of the audience will be familiar with. It’s likely ...

Benny Safdie wants to challenge our expectations of the traditional sports movie. His first solo directorial outing without his brother Josh, “The Smashing Machine” is a biopic that zigs when you ...

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has built his career on a charisma that’s larger-than-life and action-hero bravado. However, The Smashing Machine marks his first full-on dramatic role. It’s a significant ...

Despite critical acclaim Johnson's film falls in the streaming charts ...

Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” isn’t what you think it is, especially if you think it’s a movie about a British guy who thinks his typewriter is the tops. “The Smashing Machine” would seem to ...

“I just don’t want to fight,” Mark Kerr pleads to his girlfriend, Dawn Staples, during one of many domestic quarrels in “The Smashing Machine,” a granular if not particularly gritty drama set in the ...

“The Smashing Machine” recounts the success and struggles of Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Mark Kerr. Relying on his own professional wrestling background, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gives a ...

Credits: Directed by Benny Safdie, starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Lindsey Gavin and Oleksandr Usyk. Rating/runtime: R for language and some drug abuse; 123 minutes. How ...