“The Smashing Machine” Pulls Its Punches

Only two kinds of actors are bad: those who can’t be themselves and those who you wish wouldn’t be. All the rest are likely to shine in movies by good directors, and most actors whose reputations aren’t illustriously artistic have mainly been unfortunate in their collaborations. Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson has long been in my private pantheon of actors who are awaiting their showcase, ever since his performance in Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain,” from 2013.