A good movie let down by an underwhelming story. 'A' grade on the production side - visuals, soundtrack, editing - the style that you've come to expect from a Safdie Brothers film. However, 'C-' grade on the story. Athlete struggles with addiction and relationships trying to reach the top of his sport. We've seen this before and both 'The Wrestler' and 'Magazine Dreams' did it better. Dwayne Johnson was serviceable in the role - but he won't be getting an Oscar. Will he even be nominated?
Hope the Safdie brothers don't meet the same fate of the Coens where films made by the individual members fall short of the output when they worked as a team.
The Smashing Machine
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