Inner turmoil is something of a Safdie Brothers specialty. In Good Time, they depicted a brotherly relationship bubbling over with anxiety, protecti
Inner turmoil is something of a Safdie Brothers specialty. In Good Time, they depicted a brotherly relationship bubbling over with anxiety, protectiveness, emotional vulnerability. In Uncut Gems, we saw how Howard Ratner’s reckless bravado masked a gaping void threatening to swallow him whole. And so, while The Smashing Machine is a solo Benny Safdie venture (his brother Josh is behind the upcoming Marty Supreme), there’s still that same DNA there – his UFC movie, about the life of Mark Kerr (played here by Dwayne Johnson), is its own exploration of a disparity between a surface appearance and what’s happening beneath.
“I was really obsessed with radical empathy,” Safdie tells Empire of a film looking to not just follow Kerr into the ring, but also into his head. “I wanted to make a really honest movie about what it means to compete and to feel that. [The audience] just see you as this big guy, strong guy — they don’t know that you’re struggling with anything else. It can be very lonely.” It’s a journey that features physical hits, painkiller addiction, and a tumultuous relationship with Emily Blunt’s Dawn. And, as Safdie saw in documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life And Times Of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr, the MMA star isn’t what you’d expect from a physical brawler. “As soon as I saw it, I completely connected with Mark,” says Safdie. “There was something about him. He’s so soft spoken, so gentle, and the way he used words was really beautiful — it was such a contradiction to the stereotype.”
Expect, then, another exploration of a character who is trying incredibly demanding to hold it all together. “I think it’s an important human emotion to study. I always loved seeing somebody try, truly try, to do something. Because when you see them trying, they’re very vulnerable,” Safdie says. Maybe, in that sense, Kerr isn’t so different from Uncut Gems’ Howard Ratner, or Good Time’s Connie. “You’re constantly thinking, ‘Oh, I can dig my way out of this hole! And maybe I’ll get to the other side and come right back around!’” laughs Safdie of his characters. “In [The Smashing Machine] there is a sense of pressure. It’s different, but it’s definitely there. Maybe I was exploring another side of that.” Get ready for an emotional bout in the ring.
Read Empire‘s full feature on The Smashing Machine in The Running Man issue – on sale Thursday 26 August. Pre-order a copy online here. The Smashing Machine comes to UK cinemas from 3 October.
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