Kerr helped grow the sport’s popularity in its early days, but the fights’ brutal demands took a toll, eventually leading to painkiller addiction. The constant need to travel, since the most lucrative early matches were always in Japan, didn’t help either. Johnson gives an eye-opening performance, abetted by Emily Blunt as Dawn, Kerr’s devoted partner, tormented by the price he pays.

The story is told in a quasi-documentary style, reminiscent of the hyperrealistic approach of the Safdie brothers’ groundbreaking Good Time and Uncut Gems. That sense of realism is buoyed by the presence of a slew of MMA legends like Bas Rutten and Ryan Bader, and there’s even a cameo from Kerr himself.

In its grit, its documentary feel, and its raw honesty, The Smashing Machine is a sports film unlike any other.