A new biopic called The Smashing Machine enters the ring this weekend, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt.
Johnson plays Mark Kerr, a real-life mixed martial arts fighter who battles an opioid addiction while rising through the ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Director Benny Safdie tells ABC Audio he has a long history with the sport and remembers watching professional fighting on TV as a kid.
“We would watch the pay-per-views and get the tapes, because it was, like, exciting.”
Safdie would later take up fighting himself, which he says was intimidating at first.
“When you start showing up a lot, people are like, ‘OK, this guy really wants to learn.’ And then they bring you in with open arms. And it’s the most loving, supportive environment,” Safdie said. “Like when you look at it from the outside you would never expect that.”
He says those experiences helped inform The Smashing Machine.
“All these experiences were just in my head and in my body, and I never had a vessel to explore them. And so when Dwayne approached me about this movie, suddenly I saw it. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is where all of this work, and research, and everything I’ve done — it’s this world.’”
Safdie adds that The Smashing Machine is a story that centers on real-life characters, instead of simply dramatizing specific fights.
“Specifically what I wanted to do with the movie, is I wanted to connect you on a personal level to the person, so that when you do eventually see them in the ring, you have a completely different point of view of who that person is.”
The Smashing Machine marks Safdie’s first solo directing effort. He previously helmed two films, 2017’s Good Time and 2019’s Uncut Gems, alongside his brother Josh Safdie.
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