‘The Smashing Machine’: A New Era for Wrestling Cinematics
Just stepping off the stage from a hefty 15-minute applause at the Venice festival, Benny Safdie’s wrestling film under A24, ‘The Smashing Machine’, is creating a wave of enthusiasm on the awards scene. Its high-octane performance has raised hopes of seeing WWE icon Dwayne Johnson potentially clutching the leading actor’s Oscar.
Looking beyond the imminent awards season, the hope is that this movie could become ‘Rocky’ for wrestling, bringing high-quality narratives and heralding a new epoch of standout, distinguished films focused on this combative sport. ‘This movie establishes a standard, noticeably high for someone touted as the world’s preeminent star,’ remarks Mark Shapiro, the President and COO at TKO, holding ownership of UFC and WWE alike.
In a discussion with Variety, Shapiro draws attention to a myriad of ‘remarkable, award-bagging films’ from the boxing universe such as ‘Rocky’, ‘Million Dollar Baby’ and ‘The Fighter’. He postulates that ‘The Smashing Machine’ might bestow upon wrestling its similar iconic on-screen moments.
‘The time is ripe for ‘The Smashing Machine’ to have that impact,’ he confidently adds, hinting at bigger developments ensuing this venture. ‘This paves the way for narrators looking to weave touching, human stories that have the capacity to reach and impact a wide spectrum of the audience with their intensity.’
The film spins the tale of former amateur wrestler Mark Kerr’s life, career, and struggles. Despite being ahead of his time in the world of MMA wrestling, Kerr’s name has managed to stay relatively obscure outside sporting circles. For Shapiro, Kerr is one among many such characters who are suitable for being portrayed on the big screen.
Delving deeper into the fabric of wrestling, Shapiro believes ‘The Smashing Machine’ ‘successfully elevates the WWE to incomparable credibility’ and bestows serious importance to the spotlighted sport.
The way WWE has been perceived for years now is like a premeditated spectacle. It’s seen as enjoyable, suitable for all ages, and inhabited by fictitious characters,’ critiques Shapiro when discussing WWE. ‘But the reality tells a different tale – it’s about bona fide athletes competing at the top level, dealing with similar struggles and challenges as their counterparts in other sports, but they march on and often taste victory just like any other athletes.’
Even though WWE already enjoys colossal worldwide popularity, introducing a movie like ‘The Smashing Machine’ — which is likely to draw in folks who might not usually be interested in wrestling — could possibly pave the path for expanding its reach.
The essential takeaway for us is this – it’s an opportunity to reach out and engage with a broader audience base that includes occasional followers or viewers intrigued by profound, deeply emotional, and humane narratives,’ Shapiro concludes.