Pain & Gain

Cast of Characters:
Daniel Lugo - Mark Wahlberg
Paul Doyle - Dwayne Johnson
Adrian “Noel” Doorbal - Anthony Mackie
Victor Kershaw - Tony Shalhoub
Detective Ed DuBois - Ed Harris

Director - Michael Bay
Screenplay - Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely

      Director Michael Bay has been behind the helm of many a blockbuster film over the past two decades. Despite all being successes at the box office, he's often the subject of criticism over his films being all action without substance. This year Bay takes on a film based on a true story with Pain & Gain. Is it worth your time and can Michael Bay go a whole two hours without unleashing one explosion... or two... or three... hundred?

      In 1995, Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) is a bodybuilder that works at the Sun Gym down in Miami, Florida. Lugo's a schemer at heart, having previously been arrested for conning the elderly into buying fake investments. Within no time, Lugo has tripled the gym's membership and also befriended fellow bodybuilder and impotent steroid junkie Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie). Lugo makes enough to get by, but he's still not satisfied. He wants more, and he finds his ticket to it through new gym member, Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub), a successful businessman.

      After hearing Kershaw's stories on how he has achieved success, Lugo believes him to be a smarmy crook and wants to take everything from him. After all, he just wants his share of the pie. He gets Adrian on board, and soon after gets Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson), a born again ex-con recently hired by the gym, to join them. Their plan is to extort Kershaw for everything he's got by kidnapping and torturing him.

      I've never been a fan of Michael Bay. I mentioned at the beginning that he's often criticized for films that provide overbearing action without any substance and I strongly agree. All things considered, you never judge one film 'cause of another, and I gotta say, I really liked this film. Mark Wahlberg gives a solid performance in the lead role, but it's Dwayne Johnson that ends up being a bit of scene stealer as the recently released, cocaine addicted, born again prison convert. Tony Shalhoub also gives a great, smug performance as the victim who's such a jack ass at times you can't quite feel sorry for him, but at the same time, you certainly can't root for his suffering either, and Ed Harris shows up about halfway through in a small but dependable role as the retired detective looking into the case. Of course, let's bring up the elephant in the room, that being Michael Bay. While it's safe to say I won't become a fanboy any time soon, I gotta give him tremendous credit here. He avoids the usual in your face, CGI heavy, explosive style he's known for, and at times, you can tell he's kinda making fun of it.

      Obviously, since this is based on real events, real criminals, and real victims, people might be naturally turned off by the idea of a movie poking fun or making light of a situation such as this one which resulted in innocent people dying. That's not the case here. Of course, there are laughs. There's quite a bit of them actually, but kudos to director Michael Bay and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for never glamorizing the violence here and for making the comic moments us laughing at Wahlberg and Co. and not with them. You'll see what I mean when you realize how stupid these criminals are. Hell must have frozen over, 'cause here I am giving a solid recommendation to a Michael Bay film. I give Pain & Gain a B+ (★★★½).