Customer Reviews

The Smashing Machine - The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr [VHS]

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Outstanding story of the rise, fall and attempted resurrection of Mark Kerr's career as a professional fighter. Mark's willingness to allow a film crew to follow him in his ups and downs, as well as his honesty of emotions makes for a gripping tale. Other famous fighters are weaved into the story, including Mark Coleman, Ricco Rodriguez and Bas Rutten.

You see the enormous highs of victory, as well as the training to get there. There's the downsides as well, as you see Mark slide into drug addiction and relationship hell. Heavy stuff.

It's easy to generalize about these fighters. He's too nice to fight. He's a psycho. He's a drug addict. He just needs to dump his girlfriend. But in the end you're left with a contradictory individual. It's a struggle, but you find yourself rooting for him in the end.

The bonus tracks added quite a bit. 30 minutes of Renzo Gracie's life was a great surprise, and the director's voice over makes the entire video worth watching twice.

Very well done!

This DVD offers an unblinking look into the life and times of Mark Kerr between the years of 1999 and 2001. Kerr was once regarded by many as the most dominant ultimate fighter in the world. Those who remember watching his early matches will recall the physically imposing Kerr, an ex-Olympic wrestler, easily handle all comers and earning his nickname "The Smashing Machine". This film documents the rollercoaster ride that was Kerr's professional fighting career. It portrays the story of an intelligent, well-spoken, and emotionally vulnerable athlete who gave himself to one of the most demanding and brutal sports in the world.

Kerr, lured by the promise of large paydays and fueled by the euphoria of his early victories, is forced to do battle with physical injuries and his inner fears. The chaos of these matches weigh heavily on the minds and bodies of these athletes, and some like Kerr deal with the physical and psychological trauma by turning to drugs. Kerr's addiction is shown in raw form, and the camera does not shy away as he desperately solicits drugs from friends and event staff, and injects pain killers into his veins.

Fans who remember Kerr's shocking loss to Fujita in Japan, will finally understand the forces behind Kerr's undoing. Especially intriguing is seeing the relationship between Kerr and the wily vetern fighter Bas Rutten, who helps train Kerr and is then forced to watch the unraveling of his pupil.

It is a story that can be difficult and gut-wrenching to watch. The documentary has few cheerful moments, and a dark mood hangs overhead even when Kerr wins his matches. It seems to suggest that pain and blood are always right around the corner in the lives of these fighters. Outside the ring, Kerr's gentle nature and thoughtful commentary make him an endearing figure. However this story does not have a happy ending, and may leave fans with mixed feelings over what they just saw.

I couldn't disagree further with the editorial review on this documentary. Having sought it out after reading excellent reviews and recommendations I was immensely impressed with the detail and access that the Smashing Machine provides. Mark Kerr to his credit shows an immense amount of his private world to us in what would appear to be an attempt to get help. And the makers to their credit steer away from making a judgement based piece in order to allow the viewer to assimilate the information on show. This is exemplified by the scene at the doctors surgery in which Kerr is less that impressive in trying to explain his motivations of fighting to a middle aged female patient. This is a fine document of a sport transferring from it's infancy to the modern world and I recommend it for MMA and non-MMA fans alike.

This is a great movie folks. It gives you an appreciation for No Holds Barred fighting. Many people consider it barbaric, but this shows a different side. Many of the fighters are good friends behind the scenes. Also, these guys are not supermen. They have the physical and emotional problems every person faces. They are sometimes addicted to drugs, they have physical pain constantly, but they still go out and give it their all when they can. Profiled here is Mark Kerr, who rose to become a UFC Champion and Pride FC superstar. The documentary is honest, forthwright, and heart wrenching. You see a good man brought low and constanly try to pick himself up again. It just does not always work, no matter how much you want to stand. This is an awesome watch if you are a MMA fan. If you are not, and are one of the sports many critics, watch this to get a better understanding of why these guys fight their hearts out.

This documentary was shot at the exact time Mark Kerr was going through a horrible period in his life. It is done somewhat low-budget so don't expect James Earl Jones doing narration but it's an epic story. Unlike others, this film isn't done in the documentary style of flashback and archived clips. The things that happen all happen as they're filming the movie.

Mark Kerr was an amazing fighter and like most of the amazing fighters in the world kinda fell into the sport. He was a wrestler and after college needed something to do for money. Putting his talents to use solved that problem.

I suggest that anyone who watches this movie watch some real Mixed Martial Arts fights beforehand. Give yourself that taste of what MMA is like and then you'll understand how much of a struggle it can be to train and compete.

P.S. It's been a while since I've seen the movie but in the bonus features, watching Bas knock out Rodrigo (i think), is probably one of the most classic shots ever.

The editorial review of this must have been done by someone with no understanding of the sport. Now that MMA has gained some degree of respectability, knowledgable people should be reviewing the relavant material. You wouldn't have a tennis player review a docu-drama about boxing would you?
Kerr is amazing. This shows the evolution of the sport, along with the evolution of the athletes that participate. Great piece of work. Inspiring!

The Amazon.com review is a complete disgrace for all film critics around the world. How dare they have a reviewer who has no knowledge or respect for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), write a review for this outstanding documentary. This reviewer has not viewed a single UFC or Pride FC in his Amazon.com career. And if he has, he still has no idea of what he's writing about.

You wouldn't have a fan of "Country Music" write a review for a "50 Cent" album now would'ya? Or vice versa. I'm sure that most rap fans don't like country music and most country music fans don't like rap music.

If you are not a fan of MMA, then I suggest you write reviews on other subjects, because it is misrepresenting and insulting for those who are true fans of MMA.

For those who are die-hard MMA fans, then this is without a doubt, one of the greatest documentaries you will ever see.

I have tremendous respect for the courage of Mark Kerr in participating in this powerful and affecting portrait of one the "almost greatest" fighters in the short history of American NHB. A lot of guys in the sport try to act hard and pretend they are never scared, but Mark opens up the fact that many fighters, even some of the best, have fears, personal demons and pains that lead them down some bad roads in their lives out of the ring. How many times have you watched a fighter's performance change drastically from fight to fight and wondered why? The fact is, MMA is tough sport with great highs and low lows, and some guys lose their way. Mark Kerr is a tragic figure in the sense that his great strength and energy in the ring make him vulnerable to depression and drug use out of it. The film the results is an excellent behind-the-scenes look at MMA as well as a graphic but compassionate portrait of a giant's fall from grace.

Straight up, this DVD is not for those who would be adversely affected at the sight of human faces audibly smashed in by scary 400 lb punches, vicious knees and elbows to the head, and blood-spattered mats.

The DVD offers gladiatorial blood-and-guts fighting served up inside a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) setting.

For someone so merciless in the ring Kerr is quite a revelation outside it. He shows a disarmingly vulnerable aspect of himself with his relationship and substance abuse problems. He admits to having been physically sick from anxiety before his first MMA fight. He turned to painkillers to allay this constant anxiety, finally turning addict. He talks about how alive, in-the-moment and spiritual this mode of combat makes him feel. His combination of tremendous physical strength, high pain threshold, skilfull takedowns, heavy punching, and great flexibility - all point to a fantastic genetic soup.

For those who dare, there can be no physical high greater than a full-contact bout.

This biography is well worth looking at if you're into ultimate fighting. This movie gives you an interesting perspective of the struggles and triumphs of a brutal sport. It starts with Marks first fight, the many years of triumphant wins and drug addiction. Mark Kerr is one hell of a fighter, on and of the mat. The disk also comes complete with special features. Highly recommended!