Christopher Nolan on Dwayne Johnson in ‘The Smashing Machine’: 2025’s Best Performance — “The Movie Will Be Understood Over Time”

It’s that time of the year, one in which Hollywood’s biggest names campaign around a film or performance that’s in awards contention.

Christopher Nolan, who clearly hasn’t seen enough films this year, has hailed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for delivering what he believes is the best movie performance in years.

Nolan was blown away by Johnson’s rare serious turn in “The Smashing Machine,” in which he played MMA fighter and UFC pioneer Mark Kerr. The film, which has seen it's post-Venice critical reception floundering, was in desperate need of any boost and just got it.

Nolan described Johnson’s performance as “heartbreaking” while speaking to the film’s director Benny Safdie on the Directors Guild of America’s podcast The Director’s Cut.

This is all part of an A24 campaign to land Johnson an Oscar nomination — and who better than Nolan to lead the way? “I think it’s an incredible performance,” he continued. “I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year or most other years.”

It’s heartbreaking. I think it’s an incredible performance. I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year. I don’t think you’ll see a better performance ever in your life.

Nolan added: “Congratulations on the movie. It’s a really remarkable and radical piece of work that will be understood more and more over time. I’m very proud to know you.”

Don’t get me wrong, I truly believe Nolan when he says it’s “the best performance that he’s seen this year,” but I also equally believe he probably hasn’t seen Rose Byrne in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Wagner Moura in “The Secret Agent,” or Ethan Hawke in “Blue Moon.” Did he witness Sean Penn stealing every scene in “One Battle After Another”?

In ‘Smashing Machine,’ Johnson inhabits Kerr, an MMA fighter addicted to winning and opioids, and it’s a curious turn in itself. He’s awkward, crass, stubborn. You can almost see Johnson discovering the nuances of acting as he goes along, flailing before the handheld camera — and, truth be told, it’s fascinating to watch: a high-wire, risky performance. The same can’t be said for the film itself.

It should be noted that Safdie had a supporting role in Nolan’s Best Picture–winning “Oppenheimer,” which also starred Johnson’s ‘Smashing Machine’ co-star Emily Blunt. Also, last year, Nolan conducted an FYC Q&A for Safdie’s brilliant TV series “The Curse.” It’s all connected — it always is in Hollywood.