The Smashing Machine

As a big fan of Pro Wrestling, Mixed Martial Arts and No holds Barred fighting I must say that out of all of the truly great behind the scenes documentaries this may very well be the single most well paced and perfectly executed one of them all. Centering around the road to the Pride fighting championship tournament in 2000 it leaves few stones unturned in its portrayal and career demise of a very promising fighter in Mark Kerr. The soft spoken and polite Kerr was quite a magnificent grappler in his day, but once the reality set in that as an amateur he would make little money to sustain his life he turned to MMA after his good friend Mark Coleman (who is also prominently featured in the film, though to a lesser extent) recommended it. The Trials and tribulations he endured that led to him ultimately quitting MMA is well documented, drawing you into a world of addiction, withdrawal and diluted desire. Its sad to see what Kerr gave up for his future wife, but perhaps it was never meant to be as his heart never truly seemed to be into it anyway. Along the way you meet several different MMA stars he would share his fame with, such as his trainer the damn near unstoppable MMA LEGEND Bas Rutten. On the flip side you see the redemption of Mark "the Hammer" Coleman as he fights to rebound from the humiliating UFC loss to Maurice Smith he endured 2 years earlier. Seeing these men in such a different light is a sparkling reminder of just how human they really are (such as Coleman obvious love for his children), and subsequently how prone to human error they are as well. Watching Kerr hit rock bottom due to his Pain Killer addiction is a sad sight, but after all the pro wrestling and combat sports health issues and deaths it has to be seen. Perhaps someone will finally wake up and clean up an industry that has long needed cleaning... perhaps not. No harm in hoping though. In closing I have to say this film is must see viewing for MMA/Wrestling fans and a perfect example of how to document an individual without compromising their dignity. Highly recommended.

"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.

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.

This was an excellent documentary on a typical fighter and the trials and tribulations one must endure to not only compete, but to gain a certain level of success as well. In this case, Mark Kerr was the subject and we are showed quite a few of his ups and downs in his career, both personal and professional.

The Smashing Machine also brought the average joe into what is going on behind the scenes, the press conferences, the relationships with the other fighters, etc. We are shown that Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman are good friends, who train together and are also willing to step into the ring, octagon or whatever and fight it out with each other as well. At times, this actually seemed to drift away from Kerr and more onto Coleman, who started to become more interesting than Kerr later on in the movie.

We are also given a look at some intense training with Kerr and Bas Rutten. This was probably the best part of the documentary, as I was most entertained by the scenes with Kerr and Rutten.

Although I enjoyed The Smashing Machine immensely, I would have chosen someone other than Kerr to feature. Personally, I would like to see how someone like Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock or any of the other bigger names in Mixed Martial Arts go about their daily business and training. I'm sure it would be just as enthralling, if not more. 8/10

The Reality of Ultimate Fighting

John Hyams' film 'The Smashing Machine,' comes across in the way few documentaries really do: Presenting the real-life struggles of ultimate fighter Mark Kerr in a captivating narrative. The film follows Kerr's career over the course of one year, from 1999 to 2000. It explains how he first was an amateur wrestler at the collegiate level, and was later drawn into ultimate fighting in an attempt to use his talent in the ring to earn some money. After his first public appearance, Kerr became a celebrity overnight, eventually finding his way to the Japan-based Pride Fighting Championship promotion. Here, the crowds were huge, and the prize money was impressive. Kerr quickly became one of the top competitors in the promotion, making him truly one of the best fighters on the globe. In the scene where Kerr is in a doctor's waiting room, discussing the sport with an older woman who sees the sport being unreasonable and brutal, he shows his confidence in his sport and does his best to defend it. Hyams however shows also the other side of Kerr's story which is filled with problems.

After years of sustaining extremely bad beatings in the ring, Kerr has become addicted to pain killers which led to serious health problems and difficulty with his home life. While it is easy to accept Kerr's defense given to the woman in the doctor's office, the film's unhesitating look into the sport suggests that the woman is right. The camera never shies away from the violence and gruesomeness of the sport, but also reveals the side we never get to see: That Mark Kerr and other fighters depicted in the film, are not inhuman, barbaric beasts whose main reason for existence is to harm their opponents. Instead, we see that they are normal guys who are just doing this to make a living. We may notice that Kerr is not a man who wants to hide anything. He never asks that the camera man be shut off. He is completely honest in his interviews and conversations. He does not even mind showing his pain killer injection and letting us see the scene in the hospital where he breaks out in tears, realizing that his life has to change. That is why Hyams did not choose a soundtrack that is loud, angry and fast, but instead we here music that provides an atmosphere against anger, really allowing the visuals to speak for themselves.

Hyams film has therefore turned into a successful documentary that tries to balance the views which are for and against ultimate fighting and the people involved. 'The Smashing Machine' is not only extreme violent, but also emotional, and at times heartbreaking. Yet it is definitely not a film for all viewers because of the intense brutality shown.