Benny Safdie shocked the awards punditry community when he won Best Director at the Venice Film Festival for The Smashing Machine. A24 has just put out a first look:
His physical transformation, along with the Venice prize, makes this, in my view, a formidable contender across the board. This is an original screenplay by Benny Safdie, who seems to be driven in many different directions, as is his brother, Josh. I like how they think outside the box.
The Smashing Machine is based on this guy, Mark Kerr. So if you are into MMA fighting then you will probably already know who he is. Getting a “based” vibe off of this and the Safdies in general. A welcome change and a break from the status quo.
The Smashing Machine opens October 3.
