“The Smashing Machine” (2025) Review

This movie might not seem like my jam, given that I’ve never been into the UFC, but that doesn’t matter with Benny Safdie’s direction. I never cared much for basketball, gambling, or jewelry, but he made me care about all three with his engrossing direction for Uncut Gems. The Smashing Machine does defy convention by searching through the rise and fall of fighter Mark Kerr less as a by-the-numbers sports biopic and more as a hunt for humanity through the pain and sweat. While this picture seems ...