the smashing machine is bennie safdie’s solo directorial debut, a beautifully shot and scored film based on the true story of amateur wrestler and mma fighter mark kerr. portrayed by dwayne johnson (jheez he was massive), the film is a bleak portrayal of ego, drug abuse and toxic masculinity. i loved the colour palette and grainy 90s feel of the film, the setting and scenes in tokyo and japan as a whole, as well as the immersive and stunning nala sinephro soundtrack that brought a poignant and contrasting energy to the intense and riveting tone of the film. this is what i loved about it – how it meanders sonically through tense yet emotive scenes with dwayne johnson’s character, and emily blunt’s character, his troubled and anxious wife, dawn staples. the only, and pretty major gripe with this film is that i wasn’t really able to connect at all with the protagonist in the story, which made me think about whether the rock actually acted well in the film, or was it the dry and just awful nature of the character that made me dislike the energy and the emptiness of it. maybe that was the point, but there was something missing to my experience, something that left me wanting more. perhaps it’s the story itself – at times i felt a disinterest from some of the characters and the story itself. it might be from the performances themselves as well. maybe my expectations being a safdie fan, were a bit too high. i’m not entirely sure what it is, to be honest, and might have to watch it again.

the soundtrack though… 25 minutes of pure bliss. from the gorgeous opener “dawn”, exploring the beautiful sonic musings of the lead character in the film, to the dynamic and drum-heavy “the smashing machine”, the music is varied yet carries a lightness to it that contrasts with the continuous, anxiety-inducing energy from the main characters. the stunning saxophones and piano / harp on “the high” make it a perfect sonic representation of mark’s state while on drugs. the haunting yet stunning energy of “grand prix” soundtracking the day in the life of a fighter trying to seek success is just, oddly fitting. the scene where she’s singing the us national anthem with the harp… oh my god, just incredible! there is a peaceful tone to “ko” that ventures into a haunting, unsettling energy, but with a lightness and beauty to it that is just incredible. there is a warm energy to both “mark ii” and “dawn ii” that make them reflective closers on the album. i immediately start reflecting on the scene of their intense fight, and how that whole scene ends. the heaviness of that scene and the rage of both characters, the ego of both characters, yet with a warm and soothing soundtrack to accompany their imperfections… it’s stunning body of work from start to finish that really juxtaposes, yet humanises, a lot of the ugliness in the characters throughout the film.

letterboxd rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 /5

trailer for the smashing machine.

the smashing machine (original motion picture soundtrack), by nala sinephro.