As The Smashing Machine opens, it takes mere moments to see what the title is referring to as we witness wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr (fittingly played by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson) demolishing opponent after opponent in a Brazilian tournament, which marks his first outing as a professional fighter. Winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, the film takes us from 1997 to 2000, following Kerr through the professional high of an unbeaten run, alongside some personal lows, as he struggles with an opiate addiction.

Indie director Benny Safdie is at the helm. Known for his hyperreal collaborations with brother Josh (including Uncut Gems and Good Time), here he’s writing and directing solo. The film’s domestic scenes aside, it plays like an 80s sports documentary (it’s based on John Hyams’ 2002 doc) and there’s authenticity aplenty in the casting of Kerr’s colleagues, with mixed martial artist Ryan Bader doing a decent job as Kerr’s trainer and fellow competitor Mark Coleman, while champion boxer Oleksandr Usyk makes for a brooding rival. Emily Blunt, on the other hand, is cast firmly against type as Kerr’s trashily glamorous girlfriend Dawn, with whom he has a strained relationship.

The Smashing Machine feels more sluggish than Safdie’s previous efforts, which were notable for their energy and intensity. If Blunt doesn’t have much to get her teeth into until the final act, Johnson disappears impressively into the part, and yet the film comes up short insight-wise. To Safdie’s credit, this doesn’t feel like a by-the-numbers sporting biopic and is notable for its unusual, more subdued approach to the material; it’s hard to revel in Kerr’s victories when many are experienced in a zombified stupor. The Smashing Machine is idiosyncratic and eye-catching but fails to match the power of its formidable protagonist.

The Smashing Machine is in cinemas now.