When I first saw the trailer for Pain and Gain I knew there would be a lot of guys out there who would blow their load over the potential awesomeness a film like that could deliver to audiences. Then I found out that the movie was based on a true story, one that you’d have to be insane to believe if there weren’t court records to prove this all went down. Returning to character development and a story that fits hits style, Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain is one of the cooler films you’ll see this year and one of Bay’s best to date.
Set in Miami in the early 1990s, Bay’s film follows three bodybuilders/personal trailers who are in search of the American Dream and aspire for more out of their life. To achieve what others have the team are willing to do what is necessary. The brains behind the mission, Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), the impenitent sheep Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and the half-wit muscle Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) embark on a mission to kidnap one of their gym’s clients and extort him for everything he has. Eventually things go wrong, certain characters spiral out of control and the police eventually get wind of the situation leading us a dramatic and comical ride that you have to see to believe.
Pain and Gain is a very different Michael Bay film. First and foremost it is down to earth and it reminds us, twice, that it is based on a true story. The movie is more in line with Bad Boys than any of his other films but the main difference is that the characters aren’t heroes trying to protect people, they are seemingly decent bad guys who believe in fitness but strive for what they want, which is to live the American dream by any (originally) non-violent means necessary. Furthermore, Bay seems like he’s actually showing restraint, avoiding explosions and over the top chases in exchange for character development and fantastically on point dialogue that expresses both the bodybuilding culture and the mindset of stupidly overconfident criminals.
The trickiest part of this film is managing the constant shifts in tone. At times the movie is hilarious and ludicrous but at other times it’s serious and dramatic. This is a result of the aggressive nature of the characters and the severity of the situation they dig themselves into. These guys aren’t all that good, in fact they’re mostly bad due to their intentions but have charming and rather nice personalities, except for Danny. On the flip side, everything these guys do comes off rather funny as well. Being a member of Gold’s Gym or any “manly” gym where people actually lift weights will certainly help you in understanding the bodybuilding humor and dialogue used throughout. As for the rest of the humor, all of it is derived from the fact that a group of dimwits could pull off a crime that’s so perfect yet sounds unbelievable when you hear it.
By far the best part of the film, outside of the fantastic dialogue, is the cast. In fact, the casting choices for this film couldn’t have been any better. Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie nail their roles and play some of the most ridiculous, but seemingly accurate, characters I’ve seen on screen in a while. Dwayne Johnson’s “Team Jesus” born again but coke snorting Paul Doyle is like the equivalent of Channing Tatum’s role in 21 Jump Street, it was tailor made for him and will make the haters believe he can actually act. Mackie plays Adrian Doorbal, a smart guy who sees through Daniel’s B.S., wants to get huge and loves fat chicks but he takes steroids leaving him with performance issues. Then there is Mr. Wahlberg as Daniel Lugo, a man that believes in fitness and the American dream. He is a doer and exerts more confidence than he should for the IQ level that he has. Upset with where he is in life, Lugo wants more and decides that since one of his clients, Victor Kershaw (Tony Schlhoub), has more money than he needs, he figures he should take it and thinks that watching a crime movie is all the research needed to pull off this kind of kidnapping and extortion scheme.
Overall, Pain and Gain is probably the best studio generated film that I’ve seen this year and will probably end up being one of the better action comedies of 2013 that doesn’t involve superheroes. A solid script, appropriate cinematography, terrific acting, a perfect backdrop, cool music and an unbelievable story to boot, Pain and Gain is a must see caper that’s worthy of your money.
Rating: A must see not just for the beef cake fans but for people who want to see a story so crazy that it’s actually true (7/10)
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