Christopher Nolan calls Dwayne Johnson’s performance in The Smashing Machine "heartbreaking"

The Smashing Machine has been the biggest talked-about movie of 2025, and not solely because it stars Dwayne Johnson. The movie, directed by Benny Safdie, fanned intense critical controversy following its festival run and theatrical release. But what truly got everyone's ear was what Christopher Nolan had to say on Johnson's acting.

According to Deadline, the acclaimed director described it as “heartbreaking” and “an incredible performance,” even adding,

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“I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year.”

Such a blessing by no less than the famously tough-to-please director Nolan already boosted The Smashing Machine's visibility. It is rare that one of the most respected voices in film blesses a performance so early!

The seal followed Nolan after the initial screening of an incomplete cut of the film, which was already creating waves at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals in September 2025.

A critical examination of The Smashing Machine

The Smashing Machine is a biographical sports drama film on the life of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, portrayed by Dwayne Johnson. Mark Kerr's girlfriend, Dawn Staples, who manages his personal demons, is played by Emily Blunt. Supporting the cast in the film are Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk. Benny Safdie, director and co-writer of Uncut Gems and Good Time alongside his brothers, makes his independent directorial feature debut.

The Smashing Machine is an unflinching portrait of Kerr's addiction, stardom, and emotional torment at the height of his fighting sports career. Unlike most of the genre of sports biopics, The Smashing Machine is not a film about victory or defeat. Instead, it strips away the cover of sporting success and examines the pain that comes with it, physical and psychological. That is exactly where Johnson's performance left critics and audiences in wonder.

Dwayne Johnson's transformation

Dwayne Johnson delivers one of his softer and more emotionally grounded performances to date. With his imposing presence on screen and action-hero persona, Johnson forgoes his trademark charm in this movie, opting for raw vulnerability instead.

Critics state that he underwent a humongous change, both physically as well as mentally, in order to bring Kerr convincingly to the screen. Johnson is barely recognizable in The Smashing Machine. Prosthetics, less haptic tone, and added bulk expose the self-destruction of a brawler who has lost not just fights but lots of himself, too.

This is not a daily turn of performance by Johnson, and Nolan's recommendation makes it more astonishing. The recommendation of Oppenheimer by the director is not only an approval of the talent of Johnson but also makes The Smishing Machine a contender for awards, although one must remember that Nolan did announce this just as a courtesy, and not as prophecy.

The tone of the film and the critical perception

The Smashing Machine opened the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2025, before proceeding to Toronto one week later. The initial buzz from the festivals has been extremely favorable, discussing almost exclusively Johnson's performance.

Some critics further said that supporting arcs, especially of Emily Blunt, were underwritten somewhat, so the emotional weight fell squarely on Johnson's shoulders. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Smashing Machine received a solid critical recommendation score but divided audience ratings, expressing disapproval from viewers who liked its emotional complexity in comparison to viewers who resented its slow pace.

The real Mark Kerr and authenticity in portrayal

The actual Mark Kerr was a late-1990s and early-2000s MMA champion who was also nicknamed "The Smashing Machine" because of his intimidating in-ring strength. His own life strayed badly from the rails, however, due to addiction and personal issues, topics that are covered in the 2002 HBO documentary that inspired this movie.

Safdie's approach to The Smashing Machine avoids melodrama, remaining true to Kerr's actual life. The documentary look and subdued lighting provide a humble, documentary-like setting. Reviewers have been kind in their admiration for the way Safdie's direction walks the line between empathy and objectivity, neither concurring nor condemning Kerr's behavior.

Johnson's performance is also understated, showing the fatigue, shame, and vulnerability underlying the fighter's swagger.

Audience response and box office context

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While critics have swooned over The Smashing Machine, the film's box office has lagged behind. It debuted for somewhere in the neighborhood of $5.9 million over its opening weekend and went on to make somewhere in the neighborhood of $14 million internationally outside of the U.S. for a budget that's been estimated at somewhere in the range of $50 million.

Those numbers look disappointing, but so is not uncommon for smart, character-based films in their non-blockbuster windows of release. Everybody expected to see a sports drama with a bit of action, but got a complex psychological inquiry instead.

That has caused a difference between the expectations of the audience and what the actual agenda of the film is, something that does not occur in thoughtful biographical films.

Nolan's influence and cultural impact

When Christopher Nolan called Dwayne Johnson's performance in The Smashing Machine "heartbreaking," he wasn't stumbling. The comment soon caught fire with fan chat rooms and social networking sites, making waves with moviegoers who might otherwise have overlooked the film.

But Nolan's analysis was not promotional; it was observational. Being one of the most respected directors of his own generation, Nolan's endorsement gives the picture a kind of artistic legitimacy, aimed at Johnson's bid to rise above his blockbustery image.

Whether that will translate into awards remains to be seen, but it's guaranteed to shift public perception of Johnson as a performer capable of carrying heavy dramatic freight.

Is The Smashing Machine, then, the performance of the year, as Nolan argues? That's for the public and the critics to judge, but no one's denying the abandon with which Johnson attacked the role. Benny Safdie's direction, in its polarizing attitude and rhythm, enhances the emotional brutality at the center of the movie.

In the end, The Smashing Machine stands as a unique entry in 2025’s cinematic lineup, part sports drama, part psychological study. It strips away glamor and bravado to show the lonely, painful world beneath athletic greatness. Nolan’s comment, “I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year, ” might just turn out to be prophetic.

But whether it does or doesn't come back with its spoils, one thing's for certain: Dwayne Johnson has given his fans something they didn't expect: an acting job as brutal as it is emotional!

Also read: "It was such a joy": Elliot Page opens up about starring in 'The Odyssey' & reuniting with Christopher Nolan post-transition