A surprisingly personal look at the life, including trials and tribulations, of Mark Kerr, an "ultimate fighter". Much more than just heads being bashed in which was certainly unexpected. The Smashing Machine is more like a year or two in the life of Mark Kerr who also happens to be an ex wrestler and ultimate fighter. If you are into any type of martial arts you will love this if not then maybe also for the behind the scenes into the life of an interesting character.The only problem is that this movie is a serious pump up movie ala Rocky which may or may not be a problem for people.

This is a man who proves every man's worst enemy is himself.This is a great behind the scenes look at the ugly side of what it takes to be a MMA warrior and stay one. Mark discovers that what brought him to the top is going to chew him up and spit him out unless he makes some serious changes in his life. Addictions to pain killers and too much partying used to give him an edge of not feeling pain. His relationship used to be the crutch that would hold him up till the next fight. Fame and pressure to stay at the top makes everything different and more demanding.All of a sudden he is very alone at the top and realizes he's just not able to do it by himself, never realizing he's the one making that decision he can't do it so he obviously was fooling himself all along.He has to decide between being tough and living rough to be the champion or caving in to the demands of his manipulative obsessive girlfriend and taking the easy way out to chumpville with the rest of us mortals. It was awesome seeing the scenes with Bas Rutten reacting to what he saw happening with Mark. As Mark described it -it's weird when everyone else can see what you are doing wrong except you- and that's exactly the place where he was in this movie because he is in a co-dependent relationship with a negative controlling woman. Their relationship is based on his own loneliness, depression and emotional weakness and fueled by her jealousy and fear. The reason they were together is because both shared the same bad habits and loneliness and an attraction to the escape that the other one offered. Unfortunately, people that meet because they share bad habits, tend to only make it worse on both of them.

Mixed Martial Arts appeals to me and that is why I enjoyed watching The Smashing Machine: The Life And Times Of Mark Kerr. I think Mark was a really exciting fighter to watch. His power was incredible, strength was overwhelming and his physique was intimidating.This movie also presented Mark Kerr from a personal standpoint. From his addiction to drugs and his subsequent rehabilitation to breaking up with his girlfriend, who he later married. I also liked the fact that they included footage of Mark Coleman. This gave the video a variety. I would like to see Kerr vs Coleman one day (if it hasn't already happened). I'm sure it would be (or was) an exciting match. All in all, I think that Mark Kerr is a great fighter and those of you who are into MMA tournaments would agree with me that he is exciting to watch.This only thing I disagreed with is the tournament Kerr fought in where they made elbows and knees illegal. This makes the tournament seem like less of a shoot fight and more of a pure grappling exhibition, in which people like the Gracies would win all day long.

As a big fan of Pro Wrestling, Mixed Martial Arts and No holds Barred fighting I must say that out of all of the truly great behind the scenes documentaries this may very well be the single most well paced and perfectly executed one of them all. Centering around the road to the Pride fighting championship tournament in 2000 it leaves few stones unturned in its portrayal and career demise of a very promising fighter in Mark Kerr. The soft spoken and polite Kerr was quite a magnificent grappler in his day, but once the reality set in that as an amateur he would make little money to sustain his life he turned to MMA after his good friend Mark Coleman (who is also prominently featured in the film, though to a lesser extent) recommended it. The Trials and tribulations he endured that led to him ultimately quitting MMA is well documented, drawing you into a world of addiction, withdrawal and diluted desire. Its sad to see what Kerr gave up for his future wife, but perhaps it was never meant to be as his heart never truly seemed to be into it anyway. Along the way you meet several different MMA stars he would share his fame with, such as his trainer the damn near unstoppable MMA LEGEND Bas Rutten. On the flip side you see the redemption of Mark "the Hammer" Coleman as he fights to rebound from the humiliating UFC loss to Maurice Smith he endured 2 years earlier. Seeing these men in such a different light is a sparkling reminder of just how human they really are (such as Coleman obvious love for his children), and subsequently how prone to human error they are as well. Watching Kerr hit rock bottom due to his Pain Killer addiction is a sad sight, but after all the pro wrestling and combat sports health issues and deaths it has to be seen. Perhaps someone will finally wake up and clean up an industry that has long needed cleaning... perhaps not. No harm in hoping though. In closing I have to say this film is must see viewing for MMA/Wrestling fans and a perfect example of how to document an individual without compromising their dignity. Highly recommended.