The Smashing Machine

May 1, 2002

1h 33m

★ 6.9

The Life and Times of Extreme Cage Fighter Mark Kerr

Overview

An unflinching look at the life and story of Mark Kerr between 1999 and 2001, an intelligent, articulate, and emotionally vulnerable athlete, considered by many at the time to be the most dominant ultimate fighter in the world. A former Olympic wrestler, Kerr easily dominated all his opponents, earning him the nickname "The Smashing Machine." With the promise of big money and the euphoria of his early victories, Kerr must battle his injuries and inner fears. The shock of these fights takes a heavy toll on his body and mind, and Kerr attempts to overcome these physical and psychological traumas by turning to painkillers. Kerr's addiction is shown in its raw form, with the camera capturing him desperately soliciting drugs from friends and staff, and injecting painkillers into his veins. His shocking defeat to Fujita in Japan shows us a story that is sometimes difficult and heartbreaking to watch.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Solaris Film

HBO Documentary Films

The Smashing Machine Trailers

Cast

Self

Mark Kerr

Self

Bas Rutten

Self

Mark Coleman

Self

Royce Gracie

Self

Dawn Staples

Self

Eddie Goldman

Self

Ken Kilpatrick

Self

Igor Vovchanchyn

Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

6.7

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty

Jun 2, 1938

Part two of Leni Riefenstahl's monumental examination of the 1938 Olympic Games, the cameras leave the main stadium and venture into the many halls and fields deployed for such sports as fencing, polo, cycling, and the modern pentathlon, which was won by American Glenn Morris.

6.0

13 Days in France

Sep 27, 1968

This colorful documentary chronicles the events of the 1968 Winter Olympics in France. The events made international celebrities of skater Peggy Fleming and skier Jean-Claude Killy for their gold-medal performances. The camera accurately catches the speed of bobsleds and downhill racers and ski jumpers as they race for the gold. President Charles DeGaulle is shown observing the action over 13 days, which saw France earn the best performance to date in the winter games.

0.0

Gasoline Family

Jan 4, 2023

Documentary film that tells the story of Toninho and Cristiano da Matta, father and son who dedicated their lives to one big passion: Motorsport. Going though thier battles, comebacks, tragedies and glories in one of the world's most competitive and dangerous sports.

0.0

Gift of the Game

Aug 1, 2002

Acclaimed Florida novelist Randy Wayne White travels to Cuba with former pitchers Bill "Spaceman" Lee (Boston Red Sox) and Jon Warden (Detroit Tigers), and a band of baseball enthusiasts to find and revive the children's baseball league founded by American writer Ernest Hemingway in the days before Fidel Castro came to power.

6.5

Counterpunch

Jun 16, 2017

As boxing's popularity wanes, three fighters at different stages of their career make sacrifices to pursue their dreams of becoming champions.

10.0

The Big Boys' Playground

Nov 16, 2016

Stéphane and Alizée, two rock-climbers looking for a breakthrough, spend their winter in Catalonia—the perfect place for climbing hard. Their projects lie in the sector called “El Pati” (the playground). Success, more than a physical achievement, seems to be a state of mind.

0.0

Men In Sync

Apr 28, 2022

A short documentary exploring the gender inequality that male artistic swimmers are facing in the Olympics, including intimate interviews with Spanish mixed duet Pau Ribes and Emma Garcia, and legendary American male artistic swimmer Bill May.

6.3

Maradona by Kusturica

May 28, 2008

A documentary on Argentinean soccer star Diego Maradona, regarded by many as the world's greatest modern player.

6.3

Football Under Cover

Feb 10, 2008

David Asmmann's Football Under Cover documents the hard work involved in setting up an exhibition soccer match, known as a "friendly," between a German girls squad and Iranian women's team. In addition to showing how the two groups come from very different cultures, the documentary showcases what playing the game means to the members of both teams, and displays how passionate the fans of these two squads are.

8.3

The Giants

Jul 1, 2021

We follow the epic lives of sumo legends who made it from humble beginnings in Hawaii, to becoming the first foreigners to rise to the highest ranks in sumo. Starting with Takamiyama who paved the path for Konishiki, Akebono, and Musashimaru who soon followed and ignited sumo fandom around the world. As diplomats for the sport and Japanese culture, these 600 pound outsiders share their hero’s journey from a small Hawaiian village, to having God-like adulation from fans across the world.

6.9

Mountain

Nov 30, 2017

An epic cinematic and musical collaboration between SHERPA filmmaker Jennifer Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, that explores humankind's fascination with high places.

0.0

The Argentine Miracle of Tennis

Oct 28, 2016

No overview available.

0.0

Roland Garros

May 30, 2014

From the shacks and dirt sheets of Argentina to Center Court of Roland Garros.

0.0

The History of Argentine Tennis

Sep 1, 2006

No overview available.

5.8

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait

May 24, 2006

Halfway between a sports documentary and an conceptual art installation, "Zidane" consists in a full-length soccer game (Real Madrid vs. Villareal, April 23, 2005) entirely filmed from the perspective of soccer superstar Zinedine Zidane.

7.7

Pelé the Last Show: The Film

Jan 1, 2018

On August 28, 1977, the "King of Soccer" left his throne vacant. Pelé officially quit his job: mesmerising the world. His last soccer jersey, "that" soccer jersey, became the shroud of the history of soccer. This is a journey through his last match, a long farewell reported by those who were there and left a mark not only on Pelé but also on an era.

6.9

Tyson

May 16, 2008

Director James Toback takes an unflinching, uncompromising look at the life of Mike Tyson--almost solely from the perspective of the man himself. TYSON alternates between the controversial boxer addressing the camera and shots of the champion's fights to create an arresting picture of the man.