The Smashing Machine
The Life and Times of Extreme Cage Fighter Mark Kerr
- Documentary
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.
Keywords
- drug addiction
- fighting
- extreme sports
- mixed martial arts
- sports
- cage fighting
- pro wrestler
- combat sports
- striker
- mixed martial arts (mma)
- ultimate fighting championship (ufc)
- octogon
- pride fighting championships
Details
- Status
- Released
- Release date
- May 1, 2002
- Original language
- English
- Spoken languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
- Production
- Solaris Film,HBO Documentary Films
- Cast
- Royce Gracie,Ken Kilpatrick,Mark Coleman,Dawn Staples,Mark Kerr,Eddie Goldman,Bas Rutten,Igor Vovchanchyn
- Director
- John Hyams
- Cinematography
- Stephen Schlueter
- Music
- Michael Krassner
- Budget
- Not recorded
- Revenue
- Not recorded
- IMDb
- tt0320512