Film News: The Rock receives huge standing ovation as ‘The Smashing Machine’ triumphs in Venice
Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson and Emily Blunt have teamed up for one of 2025’s most anticipated movies: The Smashing Machine.
Directed by Benny Safdie, remembered fondly for 2019’s Uncut Gems, The Smashing Machine premiered at the Venice Film Festival and left the audience stunned.
Film News Blitz’s Joe Matthews is here to discuss the latest UFC flick.
Fighting his way to the top
Johnson, made famous during his time as ‘The Rock’ in the WWE, has forayed into the world of big-screen acting on several occasions over the last 25 years.
Box-office hits like Moana, Furious 7, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle have been overshadowed by much less successful flicks such as The Tooth Fairy and Baywatch, leading to many feeling undecided on the actor’s talent.
The Smashing Machine, however, seems to be proving doubters wrong after the Venice Film Festival crowd adorned the latest project with a 15-minute standing ovation.
Following the story of one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s biggest ever names, Mark Kerr, viewers are taken on a journey of dedication, despair and of course, combat.
Immediate critical acclaim
Despite just premiering, many are already tipping Johnson as an outside Oscar shout, commanding heaps of praise from the entire cinema world.
Rotten Tomatoes has the film at an 88% fresh rating, and the Telegraph's Robbie Collin said: "His performance is warm, sincere and admirably ego-less, while some phenomenally delicate facial prosthetics alter his appearance just enough that you see his character, rather than The Rock, looming up on the screen."
In addition, IndieWire's Ryan Lattanzio said: "While The Smashing Machine doesn't play like easy awards catnip, Johnson earns a sizable position among this year's prize-seekers."
Breaking out of pre-made career casts
Made famous by his antics in the WWE, the American has previously discussed wishing to break away from the stereotypes attributed towards him.
In an interview with the BBC, Johnson said: “I made those movies and I liked them and they were fun, and some were really good and did well, and some not so good, but I think what I did realise is I just had this burning desire and this voice that was just saying, 'what if there's more, what if I can?'
"Sometimes it's hard to know what you're capable of when you've been pigeon-holed into something. It's harder to know 'wait, can I do that? I feel like I can'. And sometimes it takes people who you love and respect to say 'you can'."
The Smashing Machine is set for cinema release on October 3, with the world waiting to see if ‘The Rock’ can soften his edges to become a fully fledged dramatic feature film actor.
READ NEXT: Film opinion: Ranking WWE star actors Dave Bautista, The Rock, and John Cena
