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.

6.5

Alphane

Jun 7, 2023

Dive into an epic journey with Simon Lorenzi, a climber who made history by opening the world’s second 9a boulder. After overcoming various injuries, Simon returns to the limelight to take on a new and equally ambitious challenge.

No Image Available

7.0

Fight Life

Jan 20, 2012

Chronicles the daily lives of professional MMA fighters from all different levels over the course of one year.

0.0

Liverpool FC: 501 Goals

Mar 10, 2003

501 goals from 50 of Liverpool's greatest goalscorers. Red's striking legend John Aldridge is your host as he counts down the players and goals that have made Liverpool into the one of the most successful English football clubs.

6.9

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story

Jun 6, 2018

The life and career of the hailed Hollywood movie star and underappreciated genius inventor, Hedy Lamarr.

6.7

Dig!

May 14, 2004

A documentary on the once promising American rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. The friendship between respective founders, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor, escalated into bitter rivalry as the Dandy Warhols garnered major international success while the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploded in a haze of drugs.

7.4

Les yeux dans les Bleus

Jul 14, 1998

This documentary follows the French soccer team on their way to victory in the 1998 World Cup in France. Stéphane Meunier spent the whole time filming the players, the coach and some other important characters of this victory, giving us a very intimate and nice view of them, as if we were with them.

0.0

Couch Man

Oct 13, 2023

In Asheville, NC, five individuals find their place in longboard world. This is an action documentary crafted with a broad audience in mind, appealing to more than just the downhill community.

5.0

Ghetto Fights 3

Oct 10, 2006

Ghetto Fights 3 was released Oct 10, 2006 by the Navarre Corporation and presents a brutal glimpse of America's urban underbelly with a third collection of real-life street-fight footage taken straight from the nation's toughest inner-city 'hoods. Set to a blazing hip-hop soundtrack, this hard-hitting and totally authentic documentary captures all the nonstop action as thugged-out gangstas engage in violent and often shocking bare-knuckle beatings. This DVD takes viewers to ground zero in urban America. Witness the day-to-day struggles of average individuals and the solutions they fire off.

0.0

Skateboarding's First Wave

Apr 13, 2015

Explore the origins of skateboarding culture through the lens of the 1965 Palisades Skateboard Team, who reinvented a childhood hobby into a sport, bringing it to the vanguard of popular culture. Features interviews with the team members reflecting on how the sport has changed, 50 years later.

0.0

Vana: The Biggest Race Is the Life Itself

Sep 6, 2012

A documentary portrait of a legendary Czech jockey, Josef Vána, reveals his inner world of thoughts. His unique way of life can't be described in words, and this is a first, really original view into his daily life around horses, terrifying accidents, and also stories about his family.

7.7

Hill

Feb 27, 2025

In 1996, Damon Hill claimed the Formula 1 world championship—defying the odds and overcoming familial tragedy to step out of his father’s shadow and become a racing legend in his own right.

6.8

Germany: A Summer's Fairytale

Oct 3, 2006

A documentary of the German national soccer team’s 2006 World Cup experience that changed the face of modern Germany.

7.6

Riding Giants

Jul 9, 2004

Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.