Now that the summer movie season is in the rearview mirror, attention has now shifted to awards season and the Oscar race. Fall is typically when studios release their Oscar hopefuls, and many titles premiere at various film festivals to generate buzz and positive word of mouth. One of the more intriguing projects on the docket is The Smashing Machine, director Benny Safdie’s biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr that stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in arguably his most dramatic role to date. Many were curious to see how The Smashing Machine (and Johnson’s performance in particular) would be received, and now that it’s had its premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, the film is earning some of the best reviews of Johnson’s career.
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As of this writing, The Smashing Machine has an 84% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. That is the third-highest score overall for a movie Johnson has acted in, and the best for a live-action film where he is the lead. The only movies that scored higher than The Smashing Machine were Disney’s animated smash Moana (95%) and the underrated Florence Pugh vehicle Fighting With My Family (93%). No critics consensus is available for The Smashing Machine yet, but Johnson’s performance has been cited as a highlight by many.
The Smashing Machine Starts a New Era for Dwayne Johnson’s Acting Career
Johnson’s natural charisma and screen presence helped him become one of his generation’s top action stars, but it was a schtick that was starting to wear thin. The middling receptions to films like Black Adam, Red Notice, and Red One suggested that it was time for Johnson to alter his strategy and pursue different types of films — ones that could showcase another side of his acting range and possibly earn positive reviews. To his credit, this is what Johnson has been doing. Rather than keep making disposable action flicks, he’s taken an interest in working with respected auteurs.
The Smashing Machine is not a one-off into dramatic territory. Johnson has already confirmed he’s collaborating with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio on a Hawaii-set mob film. Notably, Johnson and his Smashing Machine co-star Emily Blunt were the ones who brought that project to Scorsese and DiCaprio, encouraging them to sign on. Johnson will also have a role in a movie called Breakthrough, which will be directed by Black Swan and The Whale helmsman Darren Aronofsky.
Johnson will still appear in big-budget genre fare (he reprises the role of Maui in Disney’s live-action Moana remake), but it’s fascinating to see him team up with acclaimed directors, seeking out roles that will challenge him as an actor. It’s a gamble, but based on reviews for The Smashing Machine, one that paid off. The Smashing Machine proves Johnson is capable of being a leading man in a dramatic feature, portraying a character that has depth. Admittedly, playing a UFC fighter seems right within Johnson’s wheelhouse, but there’s a difference between looking the part and actually acting the part convincingly. Reviews have highlighted the transformative nature of Johnson’s performance, which bodes well for the Scorsese and Aronofsky pictures.
It’ll be interesting to see if Johnson finds himself in the Best Actor race at the Oscars this year. There are several possibilities for nominations, and with it being so early in awards season, it’s too soon to confidently make any predictions. But A24 is definitely hoping to net some accolades for The Smashing Machine, otherwise they wouldn’t have gone all out with a festival premiere anchored by the “The Rock does drama” narrative. There will be a big campaign for Johnson, and the fact the film has earned positive reviews helps.
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