This was a fascinating movie, if not entirely satisfying. Dwayne Johnson’s performance establishes him as a top rate actor despite the distraction of his fake hair line and pancake makeup. Emily Blunt is addictive in a junk food kind of way. This is the story of Mark Kerr a mixed martial arts fighter who undoubtedly didn’t get paid enough to bang up his head and destroy his body the way he did. That he battled drug addiction along the way is hardly surprising. Johnson has a few scenes in which he delivers his lines with such sensitivity and natural spontaneity that I couldn’t help being reminded of a Brando like quality. Those scenes are a stark contrast to the brutality of the fights. In the end, I felt the character evolvement of Johnson/Kerr lacked some texture and depth. But overall this was a visually interesting two hour ride and a moderately insightful look at the dangers of extreme athleticism.
