Overview

• Dwayne Johnson stars as MMA pioneer Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s A24 biopic, which opened nationwide on October 3 following Safdie’s Silver Lion win at Venice.
• Critics widely praise Johnson’s transformative performance after he used 22 prosthetics and gained just over 30 pounds, with several outlets calling it the best work of his career.
• The production leans on real combat-sports figures for authenticity, including Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman, Bas Rutten as himself, and Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu in a role drawn from the MMA world.
• Reviews note raw, verité fight staging and lived-in details, while some fault the screenplay’s focus and cohesion, describing a compelling performance inside a narratively thin or scattered film.
• Mark Kerr publicly supports the project after working closely with Safdie and Johnson; he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in June and recently signed with a talent agency, reflecting renewed visibility.