The film “The Smashing Machine,” a bracing and profoundly humane sports biopic, marks Benny Safdie’s compelling solo directorial debut, earning significant acclaim and an emotional 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. The movie stars Dwayne Johnson in a revelatory, transformative performance as real-life mixed martial arts and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Mark Kerr, with Emily Blunt co-starring as his girlfriend, Dawn Staples. Safdie, known for his edgy work with his brother Josh Safdie, finds a unique voice in this project, delivering a drama that feels akin to “The Wrestler” and “Raging Bull,” moving beyond a typical “rousing” sports biopic to offer an intimate, documentary-like slice of life.

Set between 1997 and 2000, the film plunges into the raw, brutal world of professional fighting, immediately establishing Kerr’s ferocity in the ring. An opening scene depicts a merciless bare-knuckle amateur bout, where Kerr, once a wrestler, reduces an opponent’s face to a bloody pulp. This visceral violence is juxtaposed with Kerr’s disarmingly gentle voice-over, describing the high he gets from destroying an opponent, a sentiment that feels both understandable and unsettlingly dark. Mark’s public persona, with his “sharky white teeth and mop of greasy curls,” muscular physique, and carefully curated civility, presents him as a creature of sports showbiz. However, beneath this engineered facade, he grapples with a deep-seated rage he barely comprehends, embodying a “smashing machine” that controls his violence through a rigidly constructed self.

Dwayne Johnson, almost unrecognizable due to extensive prosthetic makeup by Oscar-winning artist Kazu Hiro, delivers an extraordinary performance that delves into Kerr’s haunted inner world. Johnson portrays Mark as an affable yet detached “gentle giant with demons that will not speak their name,” investing his silent, moody side with a profound mystery. The actor’s commitment to pushing his boundaries, seeking roles that “explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain,” is evident in his nuanced portrayal. Emily Blunt equally shines as Dawn Staples, bringing a “whiplash spontaneity” and a bittersweet fusion of compassion and arrogance to the character, making Dawn a searingly authentic and touching presence. Their domestic life in Phoenix is fraught with tension, where even minor details like a breakfast smoothie recipe expose Mark’s control-freak tendencies and highlight their mutually dysfunctional dynamic.

The film meticulously charts Kerr’s personal struggles, including a crippling opioid addiction, which is depicted not just as a loss of control but as another layer of his regimented life, a means of washing away pain. Scenes like Mark’s hospital visit by his friend and fellow fighter Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader), where Kerr’s exposed missing front teeth symbolize his brokenness, underscore his lowest points. His journey towards sobriety, however, only intensifies the domestic conflicts, culminating in a pivotal fight in Japan where a pre-bout squabble with Dawn throws him off, leading to his first-ever loss. This defeat profoundly shatters Mark’s identity, forcing him to confront a reality he deemed unimaginable.

Kazu Hiro’s meticulous work was crucial to Johnson’s transformation, involving two hours of daily application for eyebrow covers, reshaping the nose, wig design, covering numerous tattoos, and adding swollen features depending on the story’s progression. Hiro and Safdie opted for subtlety, ensuring Johnson’s expressions were never lost, despite the challenges of sweat and physical activity during fight sequences, which required constant maintenance. Hiro, despite considering retirement, finds renewed motivation in such creative collaborations, underscoring the artistic dedication behind the film’s realism.

“The Smashing Machine” is not merely a tale of athletic triumph but a journey of profound personal transformation. The film’s climactic sequence, set at the Pride championship in 2000, transcends conventional sports movie tropes. Mark, who has evolved, finds a different kind of victory. He wins by discovering the human being buried beneath the “smashing machine” he had constructed, a subtler, more moving triumph than any grand prize. The emotional resonance of the film was palpable at Venice, with Johnson, Safdie, and even the real Mark Kerr shedding tears during the overwhelming standing ovation, affirming the film’s powerful exploration of identity, addiction, and redemption.