Dwayne Johnson is one of the most celebrated wrestlers-turned-actors. Now, his new film, “The Smashing Machine,” is set to arrive in theaters on October 3. Early movie reviews are out, and some critics say Johnson could score an Oscar nomination for his role as Mark Kerr.
Benny Safdie directed “The Smashing Machine. In addition to Johnson, it stars Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Lyndsey Gavin. Johnson is one of the producers of the film, and it comes from A24.
Movie Reviews for ‘The Smashing Machine’ Praise Johnson’s Acting
The review embargo for Johnson’s “The Smashing Machine” lifted on September 1, following its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. Now, with more critics having seen the film, it has an 78 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 81 reviews.
Maddy Mussen from the London Evening Standard is one of the notable critics who reviewed the film. They wrote, “The Smashing Machine is the film that will rewrite the history of Dwayne Johnsonâs acting career. The Smashing Machine might even earn Dwayne an Oscar nomination. The Smashing Machine is good, but Dwayne is great.”
Another reviewer wrote, “From Young Rock and now The Smashing Machine, Johnsonâs desire to dig deep is met with a reluctance to be vulnerable. Paired with signature head-inducing Safdie storytelling, we never quite feel like we are being told the whole story, just the glory.”
Someone else said, “An emotional, Oscar-bound journey with incredible turns from Johnson and Blunt. Yet by softening the rage behind Kerr, it risks feeling too polished, raising questions about how much truth weâre really shown.”
Grace Randolph from Beyond the Trailer praised the acting but had general critiques of the film. She said, “While Safdie doesnât quite deliver behind the camera, this movie spotlights a brave & vulnerable performance by Johnson. If you look for it, thereâs a great message about the pressures men face, the ones they put on themselves, & how they deal with them.”
The Beloved Actor Says He’s Proud of the Film
Johnson is known as an actor who can bring in box office success. However, with “The Smashing Machine,” he wanted to put the art first. He told The Guardian, “Iâve been in this space for years where I wanted to do more.”
Johnson continued, “I wanted to not only challenge myself but to listen to my gut. To really rip myself open. And, quite honestly, I was scared. Iâm not a big therapy guy. Iâve had some great conversations with therapists, but itâs not the thing I run to. I bottle [stuff] up inside me, like a lot of guys, which I recognise is not the healthiest thing to do.”
He added, “Then I said: Wait, I can still do the thing I love, which is acting. But what if thereâs something deeper and more meaningful in it for me?”
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