{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "This is an undeniable tour de force on the part of all involved. It's the only movie I've seen Dwayne Johnson in where he disappears into his role and his character. He's such a towering, imposing figure that disappearing into a role is nearly impossible. It turns out that what he needed was to be cast in the role of a groundbreaking UFC fighter. It's unmistakably a Safdie brothers film — a warm, gritty cinematography, pervasive anxiety, a flawed protagonist. It works beautifully. Mark Kerr is undeniably sympathetic and flawed. He's a participant in a sport that's brutal by design, a sport that leads to addiction, an addiction that strain's his relationship and the cumulative effects of both, given enough time, lead to an inevitably short \"career\". Professional athletes often get paid quite a bit, quite briefly. Kerr gets paid relatively little, quite briefly because he's one of the groundbreaking athletes who preceded his particular sport's popularity. It's worth noting that the score is perfectly understated and adds so much to this film. Whether it's a solitary sax line, a lone drum performance or a spaced out, unexpected rock piece, it all works so unexpectedly well that anything else wouldn't make sense. I hope A24 keeps putting out incredible movies about sports I don't care for. : Dawn is unbearable and capably rendered by Emily Blunt.",
  "path": "/watching/movies/the-smashing-machine-2025",
  "publishedAt": "2025-11-11T14:30:00Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:sttgf52vkk46f6yuknvqxvgh/site.standard.publication/self",
  "tags": [
    "history",
    "drama"
  ],
  "title": "The Smashing Machine"
}