The Smashing Machine

This is a man who proves every man's worst enemy is himself.

This is a great behind the scenes look at the ugly side of what it takes to be a MMA warrior and stay one. Mark discovers that what brought him to the top is going to chew him up and spit him out unless he makes some serious changes in his life. Addictions to pain killers and too much partying used to give him an edge of not feeling pain. His relationship used to be the crutch that would hold him up till the next fight. Fame and pressure to stay at the top makes everything different and more demanding.

All of a sudden he is very alone at the top and realizes he's just not able to do it by himself, never realizing he's the one making that decision he can't do it so he obviously was fooling himself all along.

He has to decide between being tough and living rough to be the champion or caving in to the demands of his manipulative obsessive girlfriend and taking the easy way out to chumpville with the rest of us mortals.

It was awesome seeing the scenes with Bas Rutten reacting to what he saw happening with Mark. As Mark described it -it's weird when everyone else can see what you are doing wrong except you- and that's exactly the place where he was in this movie because he is in a co-dependent relationship with a negative controlling woman. Their relationship is based on his own loneliness, depression and emotional weakness and fueled by her jealousy and fear. The reason they were together is because both shared the same bad habits and loneliness and an attraction to the escape that the other one offered. Unfortunately, people that meet because they share bad habits, tend to only make it worse on both of them.

Like many people who have commented on this movie, I too was a big fan of the UFC when it first came about. I eventually stopped paying attention to UFC after a few years because they started making so many rules, it went from being a human cockfight to a mundane wrestling match. Why I would want to watch two men beat one another within an inch of their lives is a question better answered by the psychologists. The only viable answer I can give you is the fascination of seeing so many different forms of martial arts square off against one another. (After all, seeing a 450 lb. Sumo wrestler get choked out on the mat by a 165 lb. Jujitsu master is quite a spectacle.)

But it's a lot more fun and glamorous to watch -- or at least so I thought. I was lucky enough to go to the opening of The Smashing Machine and did not find myself cheering on the blood and gore as I did when I used to rent UFC on pay-per-view. You see, when you watch the UFC, you don't get to know the people in the ring. You almost forget that these are real people, in many cases, just trying to put food on the table for their family. For as much as we see these people as insane and deserving of their punishment for voluntarily choosing such a career path, these are real people - just like you and I.

The Smashing Machine is a brilliant documentary that follows Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman on a multiyear quest from UFC in America to the spectactular Pride competition in Japan. You see the befores, the afters and the inbetweens. You get inside these peoples' heads and hearts and can feel the emotion that courses through them at every moment of their journey. It is not glamorous by any means.

This documentary is very powerful in its ability to tell the human story while still satisfying the audience who loves the brutality -- with clip after clip of knees crashing repeatedly into unprotected skulls and eye sockets and blood spilling out as though it were poured onto the mat from a bucket. The narrative is compelling. The sequences are dramatic and hard-hitting.

I had the privilege of meeting both Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman at the premiere of this documentary. I cannot say I still wasn't shaking my head and asking "why?" but for them this sort of thing is their badge of pride -- and in many cases, their only paycheck.

Check it out.

At times tough to watch, it's a fly on the wall movie that really shows the turmoil that the fighters went through in the early days. What's most interesting now is seeing the defunct PRIDE organization at its near peak in the early days. For a big fan of that era, this is like a nice little time capsule. Well worth checking out!

A surprisingly personal look at the life, including trials and tribulations, of Mark Kerr, an "ultimate fighter".

Much more than just heads being bashed in which was certainly unexpected.

The Smashing Machine is more like a year or two in the life of Mark Kerr who also happens to be an ex wrestler and ultimate fighter.

If you are into any type of martial arts you will love this if not then maybe also for the behind the scenes into the life of an interesting character.

The only problem is that this movie is a serious pump up movie ala Rocky which may or may not be a problem for people.

"The Smashing Machine", which follows mixed martial arts competitor Mark Kerr's career from late '99 until the Pride Grand Prix 2000 tournament in Japan, is a stunning and provocative look at a man whose fights with his own personal demons rival those he encounters in the ring (or in the octagon). Also featured in the documentary is Mark Coleman, who at the time was coming off a two-year slump in the sport.

I think what struck me the most was the dramatic aspect of it. Kerr, for one, surprised me with his willingness to bare his soul before the camera. The movie goes a long way to dispell many stereotypes that many people have of shootfighters, as both Kerr and Coleman come across as genuinely good people (and in Coleman's case a devout husband and father). John Hyams provides the audience with an extremely candid look at the life of Kerr, who deals with a drug abuse problem and a potentially dysfunctional relationship. For those who aren't fans of MMA, the access Kerr grants to Hyams will shock and move you. For those who are fans, the bouts that are shown (through clips) become even more pivotal and dramatic.

For fans of Mixed Martial Arts the documentary will forever change the way you'll look at Kerr and Coleman, while also adding an added dimension to the drama that occurs within the ring (or octagon). "The Smashing Machine" provides a moving glimpse into the lives of people whose weaknesses make them more identifiable to the audience than any other documentary subject or film character, despite their profession and physiques.

Highly recommended for fans and non-fans alike,, and especially for those who view MMA as barbaric and its fighters as testosterone-driven madmen.