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After a one-year hiatus, Ironman 70.3 Davao is roaring back with its biggest edition yet-set to launch the 2026 global triathlon season on March 22, with a landmark fifth staging.

Dubbed the most ambitious and inclusive version to date, the event aims to raise the bar not only for triathlons in the Philippines but across the Asia-Pacific. With a world-class course and a festive atmosphere rooted in local culture, organizers hope to cement Davao’s standing as a marquee Ironman destination.

‘Ironman 70.3 Davao has evolved into more than just a race. It is a celebration of athletic excellence, cultural pride and community spirit,’ said Princess Galura, president and general manager of Sunrise Events Inc., the exclusive Ironman licensee in the country.

The event is expected to draw a strong international field, with participants lured by Davao’s scenic course and reputation for top-tier race execution. The swim kicks off in the calm waters of Talomo Bay, set against the backdrop of Mt. Apo, followed by a lightning-fast bike ride along the Davao City Coastal Road and a run course flanked by cheering locals.

For its fifth year, the race will carry the theme ‘Tribu Maisugon,’ a nod to the resilient and courageous Dabawenyo spirit.

Beyond the marquee race, this year’s edition will feature expanded side events aimed at increasing participation and community engagement. The Gwapa Dabawenya Run returns with three new categories-21km Pinakagwapa, 10km Mas Gwapa and 5km Gwapa Dabawenya-celebrating the strength and spirit of Dabawenya women.

Also debuting is a Sprint Distance Triathlon, tailored for newcomers and returning athletes seeking a shorter, more accessible race experience. For younger participants, the Ironkids Aquathlon will offer a fun, entry-level race in swim-run format-part of a long-term push to inspire the next generation of Filipino triathletes.

Registration is now open via ironman.com/im703-davao

A rice farmer from Nueva Ecija has maintained that what they need is higher buying prices for palay, not another wave of cash assistance, saying that the practice of providing aid makes it seem that they are beggars.

Farmer Danilo Bolos aired his view at the hearing of the House of Representatives’ committee on agriculture and food and the committee on ways and means on Monday regarding the rice importation moratorium.

Bolos said that they would not need the P7,000 cash aid pushed by House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III if the government is just addressing the extremely low buying prices for palay – ranging from P8 to P10 per kilogram.

According to the farmer, they are forced to dig into their savings or ask for loans since they have invested at least P14 to P15 per kilogram, only to have palay bought at low prices.

‘The speaker said earlier that they will give another aid worth P7,000. However, what happens is that we feel like beggars, because the aid is insufficient for us to make progress,’ Bolos said. ‘What is important for us is the price of palay – of our products – to increase so that our efforts would have value.’

‘Just think of it: Palay is sold at P8 up to P10 per kilo? But we invest around P14 to P15 per kilogram,’ he said.

‘Fertilizer is so expensive, inputs and pesticide. We cannot maximize income, so we have to borrow. Earnings are just around 3 percent for every month,’ Bolos told lawmakers.

The farmer said there needs to be a standard floor price for palay – or the lowest possible price at which palay can be purchased – or else several farmers would leave the agricultural industry within one to two years.

This means, Bolos said, farmlands may go to individuals who are not interested in farming.

‘This is the only way of living that we know, so I am appealing to the members of this chamber,’ he pleaded.

‘To you lawmakers, our lives are in your hands. If this scenario continues for one or two years, we have no choice but to leave. Our lands will go just go to anyone who will buy our lands,’ he lamented.

At the start of the hearing, Dy had said that at least one million rice farmers will get a P7,000 cash aid under the proposed 2026 national budget to ensure that the agricultural sector will thrive.

According to Dy, the Department of Agriculture (DA) needs to implement systems properly so that the country would not be reliant on importation.

After Bolos aired his sentiments, Dy told him and other farmers that they think highly of workers in the agricultural sector, and that the aid is just a manifestation of the government’s yearning to support farmers.

‘First of all, I apologize for these things. The aid is only out of the government’s yearning to address the needs of our farmers, but this does not mean that we think lowly of you,’ he said.

‘We regard you highly. We respect your efforts. If our hardworking farmers are not here, our country will not survive,’ he clarified.

‘You sacrifice a lot. Whatever your ill feelings are, whatever your resentments are, you are still there working hard and sacrificing for our people,’ he added.

Dy said that the House will work towards protecting farmers in the country.

‘Do not worry. We will do everything to ensure the welfare of each farmer here in our country is taken care of and protected,’ the speaker promised.

Agriculture panel chief and Quezon 1st District Rep. Mark Enverga also told Bolos that his request for amendments to Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law, which amended R.A. No. 8178, will be handled by the panel.

‘Sir Danilo, you can be assured that like what Speaker Bojie mentioned. We are one with the Department of Agriculture in addressing R.A. 11203, with the goal of helping you, making you happy working as farmers,’ Enverga said.

As early as June 23 – before the 19th Congress lawmakers ended their term – former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that the chamber will focus on improving the capability of the the National Food Authority (NFA), so that the government can buy palay or rice grains at fair prices while selling them cheaper.

Romualdez eventually filed House Bill (HB) No. 1, or the proposed Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act, which seeks to amend R.A.No. 8178.

Based on the copy of the measure released by Romualdez’s office, the bill seeks to strengthen the regulatory powers of the NFA ‘to support the rice industry and ensure consumer protection through adequate supply and stable price of rice.’

Earlier, in his speech, Dy said the RICE Act will be tackled by the House being a priority legislation of the chamber and the entire Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac).

In the 19th Congress, a proposal to amend the RTL was approved on third reading by the House of Representatives.

House Bill (HB) No. 10381 was approved last May 2024, with 231 lawmakers voting in the affirmative, three in the negative, and one abstaining.

However, the bill faced opposition in the Senate amid fears that giving back some of NFA’s mandates might lead to corruption again.

But according to Enverga, this would not happen as NFA will have a limited role in importation.

Police authorities here have identified one of the two gunmen who ambushed and killed a youth council chair and his brother over the weekend in the city’s commercial district.

‘The PNP has identified and is actively investigating a person of interest who may have a direct link to the crime,’ City Police Director Col. Jibin Bongcayao said in a statement Monday.

Bongcayao withheld the suspect’s name but confirmed that a follow-up investigation is underway, backed by CCTV footage from business establishments and city government street cameras.

The victims, Prince Mohaz Matanog (Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson of Barangay Poblacion 5) and his brother, Muamar Matanog, were on board a car traversing Sinsuat Avenue at about 10 a.m. Saturday, when two men on a motorbike opened fire. Both victims were declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Bongcayao said one of the police personnel who first responded to the ambush was injured when the suspects traded shots with lawmen. One of the two gunmen was also hit in the back and is now the subject of a massive manhunt.

Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao has offered a PHP500,000 cash reward for any credible information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible

The last few years have been a true revelation for Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. After two decades of consistently delivering the kind of feel-good, crowd-pleasing action and family films that have made him an A-list actor in Hollywood, the man has decided to show the world another side of his immense talent. With his new film, The Smashing Machine, it appears the most electrifying man in all of entertainment is finally ready to show us what he can really do.

I’ve been writing about The Rock’s transition from the squared circle to the big screen for a while now. From his role as the titular anti-hero in DCEU’s ‘Black Adam’ to his part in the ever-expanding ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise that seems like it will never end, it’s clear that his charisma, physique, and sheer star power has been a winning formula for all major Hollywood movies, making it clear that the stigma of wrestlers being unable to act is a thing of the past. It is because of him that the stigma gradually disappeared because of all the movies that The Rock has been a part of.

But let’s be honest: while his presence was always magnetic, most would even say electrifying. Haha. The roles themselves rarely stretched his acting abilities. They were popcorn flicks, and there’s nothing wrong with that. A cinematic landscape filled with fast cars, jungle cruises, beautiful women, super-powered beings, and even super-pets is great entertainment and all, but it’s not the preferred kind of material that earns you the respect of serious critics.

That all changed with his latest project, ‘The Smashing Machine.’ Taking on the role of real-life MMA fighter Mark Kerr, Dwayne Johnson sheds his larger-than-life persona for a grittier, more vulnerable performance. Instead of playing a superhero with a heart of gold, he’s portraying a flawed but extremely physical, bred for battle athlete battling his own inner demons. This isn’t a movie where The Rock saves the day with one of his classic catchphrases, a perfectly timed eyebrow raise, dropping the ‘People’s Elbow’ and hitting the ‘Rock Bottom’ on everyone. That was sports entertainment; this is based on someone’s own journey from the bottom up, down again, and to eventual redemption for himself.

‘The Smashing Machine’ is former UFC and PRIDE fighter Mark Kerr’s nickname, and happens to be the same movie title which chronicles his life, whom The Rock gave an ultra-realistic portrayal in his greatest performance thus far. The movie is based on the real life of one of the most popular MMA fighters’ fight for redemption in and out of the ring, and Dwayne Johnson delivered his most absorbing, convincing, and powerful dramatic performance yet, worthy of at least an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a leading role.

Who would have ever thought to hear the name of The Rock and an Oscar from The Academy Awards in the same sentence, or even thought? This feels a bit surreal, but the move on The Rock’s part was a calculated, well-planned, and brilliant one, but there were risks involved which fortunately did not materialize.

Like the cinematic landscape he has helped shape since 2002, indeed, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is evolving. He’s pushing himself beyond the physical and into the emotional, proving that there’s more to his talent than just a perfect-looking physique fit for an action star.

In fact, proof of that artistic growth for The Rock, critics at the Venice Film Festival have already taken notice, with some calling his performance an ‘intriguing new dimension’ to his acting. I mean, I’m sure you guys saw the video clip of the standing ovation he got there. The Rock even ended up tearing up afterwards. How can anyone not see right there that this is a man who has dedicated practically his entire adult life and well into his more advanced years to entertaining all of you through different realms of entertainment, whether that be in professional wrestling or acting in big-budget movies in Hollywood? I think the ‘hunger’ never left him.

For lifelong fans of his wrestling career since 2002, this shift was meant to happen, not a polarizing one, and it feels like a natural progression rather than a sudden one. To me, this seems more prophetic than anything as we’ve seen Dwayne Johnson captivate audiences with his storytelling in the ring for decades since the years of ‘The Attitude Era’ in WWE, that was it bound to happen if Hollywood gave him a fair chance he would be successful?

And once they gave The Rock that one fair chance many years ago, they did not regret it because he brings in moviegoers of all ages up to this day to fall in line, purchase tickets and fill up cinemas. It simply means he is great for their industry and when someone is valued as such, they become an asset more than anything else. But The Rock is business savvy, so everything he does is strategic on his part, and no one can use him and the industry he has helped strengthen knows that about him.

Try to think of it if you were in his shoes. The Rock made a huge gamble by leaving the WWE, at the height of his popularity, to get into Hollywood, and it shows that Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson bets on himself and knows his strengths more than anyone else. That he confronts everything headstrong and that has led to his A-list classification as an actor in due time because, again, he believes in himself. And in the eyes of casting directors, screenplay writers, directors, producers, movie studio heads, etc. Everyone in the industry, regardless of their job titles, saw that in him and ended up believing in him, too.

Fast forward years, and now that he has proven ‘Star Power’ in the genres he has been a star of, he wants to make the move towards more serious, heavy, and dramatic roles. All The Rock had to do was bring that same intensity, never-say-die attitude, and commitment to a more complex, layered, dramatic narrative, which made ‘The Smashing Machine’ the perfect role for him to accomplish all of those things in his surging Hollywood career. Is this a case of all the decades of hard work paying off in ways that maybe even The Rock could not foresee? For those of us who have followed his career for decades, from the WWE to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, this new chapter is the validation we knew was coming, inevitably for him, because he stayed true to his motivations.

In closing, whether he goes by The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, or Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, it is all the same. His legacy is already cemented in Hollywood, among the greats. But with ‘The Smashing Machine,’ he’s not just aiming for another box office hit; he’s reaching for something more meaningful. He’s reminding everyone that while he can command a blockbuster, he can also deliver a powerful, conflicted, character-driven performance. And for an electrifying entertainer who has always prided himself on his tireless blue-collar work ethic, it’s a fitting new chapter in an already legendary career that encompasses both the wrestling ring and now Hollywood.

Executives at the Mindanao Development Forum (MDF) warned that the current ‘impasse’ in the normalization process could hinder Mindanao’s development, urging the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and government peace panels to hold talks to resolve the issue.

This was expressed by Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Leo Tereso Magno and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua in a press briefing during the two-day MDF on Wednesday.

European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro, who outlined the EU’s assistance to Mindanao-including full support for normalization and the transition of former MILF combatants away from arms-said the process must continue until the desired results are achieved.

‘While the peace process is not under my office’s purview, normalization is a concern for MinDA because it affects the development we aim to achieve in Mindanao,’ Magno said.

‘I hope all concerned agencies, as proposed by the national government, will sit down again. There’s no alternative to a peaceful dialogue to address the issues in normalization,’ he added.

Macacua acknowledged that while challenges remain, these must be resolved as the peace implementation nears completion.

‘Although we have to admit there’s a problem, it must be addressed because we are now at the finish line of implementation,’ he said. ‘It’s only right that we talk. If we managed to do it before, why can’t we do it now?’

Jokingly, Macacua said that as the chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, he still has to undergo decommissioning and is waiting for his turn.

He said both peace-implementing panels of the government and the MILF could discuss the issue in a ‘very cordial manner,’ expressing hope that, with the help of the Inter-Government Relations Body and the president, the matter will be addressed.

The normalization process reached an impasse when the MILF central committee suspended the decommissioning of its remaining 14,000 combatants, citing delays in the delivery of the promised socio-economic packages.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity refuted this claim.

Magno said the issue has two sides, and both must come to the table to talk things through

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday urged government agencies to prioritize education-related projects and initiatives, emphasizing that this is how Filipinos can truly experience the country’s progress.

Speaking at the Philippine Development Forum (PDF) 2025 in Mandaluyong City, the president highlighted the importance of placing quality education at the center of each agency’s agenda.

‘We have achieved significant milestones in improving our country’s education system, but of course, we recognize that we still have a long way to go,’ he said.

‘The goal is clear: a Philippines where every child-regardless of background or circumstance-has access to quality, future-proof education,’ he added.

Marcos urged the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Finance, and all relevant government agencies to ensure that the administration’s top priorities-particularly education-receive adequate funding and support.

‘To the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) and the DepEd (Department of Education), speed up the planning and implementation process so we can meet our target of building and rehabilitating thousands of classrooms by 2028,’ he said. ‘And to the DEPDev, accelerate the review of PPP proposals for school buildings.’

‘No child should be forced to learn in makeshift spaces, and no teacher should be burdened by a system that does not support them,’ he added.

The PDF 2025 is a platform for dialogue between the government and its development partners.

With this year’s theme, ‘Bringing Together Progress for All: Services that Matter, Results that Last,’ the forum aims to promote collaboration on policy and financing priorities, guided by the outcomes of key high-level policy reviews in 2025.

The PDF also provides a venue to address urgent development challenges and explore emerging opportunities./mcm

Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua on Monday vowed to send more aid to the victims of Cebu earthquake following the initial relief that emergency responders from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) sent to the quake-hit province on Saturday.

‘This is in pursuit of the Islamic tenet that helping the needy people is as good as helping the whole of humanity,’ Macacua told reporters Monday, Oct. 6. ‘We are always ready to help and to send more,’ he said.

On Macacua’s order, the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), the Bangsamoro Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster incidence (READi), the Office of Civil Defense in partnership with the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC) and the Philippine Air Force Tactical Operations Group (TOG-12) sent non-food items for quake victims over the weekend. These included modular tents, dignity kits containing underwear for mothers, fathers and young girls and boys, as well as sanitary napkins, whistles and portable solar lamps and water kits.

‘The primary goal of sending these non-food items is to assist individuals, particularly women and young girls, with their urgent needs during times of displacement and severe crisis,’ the MSSD said.

CRMC also sent 445 bags of blood for those who would need it.

How is your mommy doing? ‘She is okay and settled back in her own home. Thankfully, we finally got a caregiver after several months of hitting and missing.’ Her mom is 92 and was recently diagnosed with dementia.

‘One of the earliest signs that Daddy had dementia was when he couldn’t figure out his way back home.’

‘I visited after he suffered a stroke, but I was so sad that he didn’t recognize me.’

‘I have learned to live with his condition, but it is never easy. One thing that helped was the establishment of a routine and providing a familiar and safe environment.’

‘Mommy was a little irritated that we were entertaining the thought of her having dementia. Her doctor put our fears to rest.’

Globally, according to the World Health Organization, dementia is ‘the seventh leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people,’ with affected individuals living mostly in low- to middle-income countries. In the news lately, the Department of Health stated that there are around 1 million Filipinos living with dementia.

While most of us are aware of the condition, how familiar are we with identifying early signs and symptoms? How much of being forgetful is worrisome? Isn’t it expected as part of aging? Is there a genetic predisposition? What are the risk factors? Can it be prevented? Is there a cure?

Accepting my limitations, as it is beyond my field of expertise, I went through literature in an effort to gain more knowledge and hopefully succeed in helping promote improved public awareness. All of us need to equip ourselves with basic information, and one does not necessarily have to be a health-care professional. Available data show that self-reporting is hardly the case, and it is usually the spouse or those who take care of the affected individual who notice a decline in cognitive function.

I was fortunate to talk with a good friend and colleague, whose special interest was in dementia, and who was involved in the validation of a screening tool, which he said was designed specifically for general practitioners and caregivers. It can be downloaded from the website of the Dementia Society of the Philippines.

Dementia is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) as an ‘acquired disorder characterized by a decline in cognition involving one or more cognitive domains (learning and memory, language, executive function, complex attention, perceptual-motor, social cognition).’ Of the neurodegenerative disorders that cause dementia and include Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies, the most common is Alzheimer’s disease.

While memory loss is a common finding, the signs and symptoms of dementia may overlap or mimic other conditions. What makes it significant is the presence of a considerable decline from baseline, which impairs daily activity. Examples include difficulty remembering where things are placed or completing routine daily tasks; getting lost in familiar places; being disoriented to place, date, and time; or exhibiting unexpected changes in behavior such as extreme depression, frequent irritability, or becoming highly suspicious.

How do we prevent the disease? While there is no foolproof plan or prophylaxis, there might be modifiable lifestyle changes that may be employed to reduce the risk. Obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking have been implicated as predisposing factors, and while control is not specific to avoiding dementia, it may serve to improve overall health. Among the nonmodifiable ones, age remains the biggest risk factor. Studies have shown that individuals above 60 are more affected, and the condition is more common among those 80 years old and above. A family history can be a risk for some disorders. With Alzheimer’s in particular, having a first-degree family member, especially if diagnosed at a younger age, has been reported to place an individual at higher risk. But even with the discovery of a gene called APOE epsilon 4, which increases the chance of Alzheimer’s, available findings show that approximately only half of those with this gene develop the disorder by age 90, which suggests that there might be other contributory factors. Therefore, testing for this gene is not routinely recommended, nor is routine screening in general done for asymptomatic individuals. In the likelihood of having a high index of suspicion, seek consult with the experts who can prescribe a workup to confirm the diagnosis and institute management, including caregiver education.

A mentor keeps me grounded whenever the subject of aging and dementia comes up, and I relay my fear of being part of the numbers. He never fails to remind me not to dwell on things that are not in the present and to be accepting of the natural course of events. Wise words.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit northeastern Cebu last September 30 should prompt Congress to immediately address proposals for a new building code, Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. said on Sunday.

Momo, in a statement, stressed that failure to pass and enact the proposed Philippine Building Act may result in catastrophic damage during disasters, which could be prevented if safety measures and standards were in place.

‘The Cebu earthquake is a wake-up call, again. It shows the cracks not only in our buildings but in our outdated building regulations. We need a building code that reflects the current and updated engineering standards, hazard maps, and climate realities-not one that was written decades ago,’ Momo said.

‘The time to pass this measure is not today, not tomorrow, not even yesterday. I have been pushing for the bill since the last two Congresses. This is long delayed, and our kababayans are paying the price for our failure to act,’ he added.

Last Tuesday night, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck waters northeast of Bogo, Cebu, damaging heritage churches and other structures and knocking out power in parts of the central Philippines.

Latest reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that the death toll from the Cebu earthquake has risen to 71.

‘We cannot keep playing catch-up every time disaster strikes. We owe it to the people of Cebu-and every Filipino-to make sure that the buildings they live, work, and study in are safe,’ Momo noted.

This is not the first time Momo has stressed the need for a new Philippine Building Act. Last March 31, he said that the impact of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that hit Myanmar should serve as a reminder to prepare for possible scenarios-particularly the feared ‘Big One’ quake that seismologists expect to hit Metro Manila in the future.

Several experts fear that at least 52,000 may die, with at least 500,000 others injured, should the West Valley Fault – a segment of the Marikina Valley Fault System that cuts from Bulacan down to Metro Manila and then Laguna-cause a magnitude 7.2 earthquake.

A special report by PSA Philippines Consultancy Inc. in 2019 showed that the possible quake, dubbed the ‘Big One,’ indicated that at least two major earthquakes had originated from the West Valley Fault in the last 1,400 years.

Momo said the Philippine Building Act can help mitigate damage from earthquakes as strong as magnitude 7.2.

During the 19th Congress, the proposed Philippine Building Act, contained in House Bill No. 8500, was approved by the House in August 2023. If it had been approved and signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., it would have replaced the country’s more than four-decade-old National Building Code.

The country’s existing building code was created through Presidential Decree No. 1096, signed in 1977 by the Chief Executive’s father and namesake, then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

The bill seeks to update the country’s standards regarding the ‘planning, design, construction, occupancy, maintenance, and demolition of buildings’ and streamline the building permit process.

In addition, the consolidated version of the bill would create a new system for the classification of buildings and new requirements for zoning, fire prevention, environmental protection, and design.

The bill also includes a provision requiring a structural review of buildings every 15 years.

However, the 19th Congress ended its term without the bill being forwarded to the President’s desk.

Opening with a mixed martial arts tournament in the late ’90s, a hulking figure emerges from the ring. It’s the first time we see Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in A24’s ‘The Smashing Machine,’ but not the version we picture in the action-packed blockbusters he thrives in.

Beyond the prosthetics that render him unrecognizable, there are no cheesy lines, forced grins, or exaggerated furrowed brows. There’s no money shot of flexed muscles or forced male-gaze scenes. Instead, we glimpse the man behind the fighter-and I dare say, the man behind ‘The Rock.’

‘The Smashing Machine’ retells the life of UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships legend Mark Kerr, played by Johnson. Kerr reigned in the late 1990s, earning the nickname that lends the film its title. But behind the ring and locker room, his championships are shadowed by addiction, personal struggles, and the crushing weight of fame.

His partner-and at times, his emotional anchor-is Dawn Staples, portrayed by Emily Blunt. Their relationship is the antithesis of the usual hero-and-damsel trope. Here, love and career don’t align, instability brews on both sides, and if anything, Kerr becomes the damsel in distress.

Dwayne Johnson as UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships legend Mark Kerr

The machine breaks down

Benny Safdie’s solo directorial debut, one-half of the critically acclaimed Safdie Brothers (Good Time, 2017; Uncut Gems, 2019), reminds us that Kerr’s fighting alter ego doesn’t reflect an indestructible machine-but a fragility that breaks down when all is said and done.

Between stitched wounds and bloodshot eyes, winners in Kerr’s world return to holding rooms bloodied, bruised, and congratulated, their cauliflower ears swelling even more.

For the MMA audience, it ends there. For the fighters-the ‘machines’-life continues bruised and broken. In Kerr’s case, his gears fail outside the ring. His effort to uphold the same public image at home collapses into painkiller addiction. His fight doesn’t end in the cage; his opponent is himself. Safdie and Johnson ask us, humbly and painfully: ‘Have you seen a grown man cry?’-an image they offer while still withholding its full weight.

‘The Smashing Machine’ shows just how vast a fighter’s world really is. Bringing to mind the likes of classics such as Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘Southpaw’ and Tom Hardy’s ‘Warrior’-for these fighters, the familiar grit, anger, and rivalry of the sport feels trivial compared to everything else that happens outside the ring.

Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson

The rock hits its mark

Early reactions to ‘The Smashing Machine’ have been overwhelmingly positive. At its Venice Film Festival premiere, the film received a 15-minute standing ovation, leaving the audience-including Johnson, Blunt, Safdie, and Kerr himself-visibly emotional.

Between stellar performances from his WWE peers, as well as a rumored contractual obligation that prevents him from ever losing on-screen, Johnson has received his fair share of criticism-particularly when compared to the likes of Dave Bautista and John Cena. But as critics and reviewers have praised him for delivering his rawest performance yet, perhaps Johnson has been listening to the noise after all and has promptly guided ‘The Rock’ off the stage.