Inside Dwayne Johnson’s transformation into MMA fighter Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s new movie. Watching “The Smashing Machine,” you may find yourself squinting as if trying to puzzle through an optical illusion. How can that guy who your brain objectively knows is Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson look so much like the Rock, but also not?

N ot many sports drama films capture the raw emotional intensity like Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, which follows the true story of MMA legend Mark Kerr. Produced by A24 and starring Dwayne Johnson alongside Emily Blunt, the film is based on the 2002 documentary titled The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson underwent a remarkable transformation for his latest movie “The Smashing Machine,” a film inspired by the real-life of former MMA fighter Mark Kerr. During a Sept. 30 appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,

Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine is not a triumphant sports movie in the traditional sense—it’s an unfiltered, nerve-jangling character study about the

Rebecca’s Take “The Smashing Machine” recounts the success and struggles of Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Mark Kerr. Relying on his own professional wrestling background, Dwayne

Benny Safdie wrote and directed the A24 feature that also stars Emily Blunt in the story of Kerr's path as a UFC Hall of Famer.

Kerr, aka "The Smashing Machine," is a former wrestler and MMA fighter. A two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, he was also a NCAA collegiate wrestling champion. He and ex-wife Dawn Staples share son Bryce.

Here's everything you need to know on the real-life Mark Kerr: Mark Kerr is a 56-year-old retired wrestler and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He’s not far from Johnson’s age, actually, which is funny given that Johnson is portraying Kerr’s decades-younger self, but that’s Hollywood for you.