Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Ed Harris, Rebel Wilson, Ken Jeong, Rob Corddry
Running Time: 129 minutes
Pain & Gain depicts the true story of the “Sun Gym Gang,” as the Miami Times calls them. Michael Bay directed this black comedy meets action film that takes place in 1995 in Miami. It is based on a book with the same title by Pete Collins. The story begins with Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), who previously served time in prison for investment fraud. While pleading guilty, he explains that he now knows there is no substitute for hard work. However, this revelation does not stop him from getting greedy again soon and kidnapping a millionaire and torturing him until he signs over all of his belongings. With the help of fellow bodybuilders Adrian (Anthony Mackie) and Paul (Dwayne Johnson), Daniel amazingly pulls off the crime, and attempts another one. The Miami police allow them to get away with a ridiculous amount of crimes before even trying to stop them. It seems that both the anti-heros and the law enforcement are extraordinarily stupid. The only intelligent character seems to be the detective, Ed Du Bois (Ed Harris).
The character of Daniel Lugo is simply portrayed as greedy. He believes that he deserves his share of “the American Dream” and that if he thinks he deserves something, the universe will provide it for him. I find his character extremely interesting because despite the fact that he commits terrible crimes, I still feel a bit of sympathy for him because of the underlying statement Bay is making that Lugo represents: entitlement toward the American Dream. Because he is an American, he feels he deserves to be successful because he has worked hard, simply put. He sees these wealthy immigrants who have achieved the American dream and is extremely jealous. On one hand, Bay seems to sympathize with the lower class that cannot achieve the American Dream no matter how hard they work, but on the other hand, he seems to mock the ridiculousness and brutality of the men’s plot, poking fun at their stupidity.
Lugo works in the gym, and success to him means physical success. He, along with his bodybuilding co-conspirators, are the epitome of physical success (with the help of steroids). Daniel trains this weak, wealthy man, Victor Kershaw, and sees himself as more deserving that Victor. Therefore, he rounds up his gang with his con-man ways, promising them no killing and a deserving victim. Paul, a born-again Christian and cocaine addict, is the most moral towards the beginning of the film but transitions into the group’s weak link that ultimately leads to their destruction. He basically joined the gang out of sheer stupidity and succumbed to Daniel’s misleading con. Adrian, however, joins the group because he has become impotent due to his steroid use and needs to pay for expensive shots and surgery.
Pain & Gain may seem like a typical action film, but it obviously is not. In contrast to the Transformers films, which range from $150 million to $200 million each, it was even made on a pretty small budget for Michael Bay: $26 million. The only thing I did not like about the film is the slow motion moments during fast paced action sequences. They were unnecessary and made it seem like the director was trying to make it look like one of his big-budget action flicks when it is not. I really liked Rebel Wilson’s small role as Adrian’s penis nurse and wife, Dwayne Johnson’s portrayal of Paul Doyle, and of course Mark Wahlberg’s portrayal of Daniel Lugo. A description of this film may not make you think it is funny, but it is really hilarious! As the film progresses and the crimes become more and more ridiculous, it hard not laugh. Wahlberg’s voice-over narration is also very funny at times. Even though, obviously, a few of the facts from the real life events were changed, most of the changes do not make the film more exciting or cinematic. I love “true story” films and I really enjoyed this one because it is a great blend of comedy and action and leaves you dumbfounded that these events actually took place.
VHS Rating: 7/10
Pain & Gain is available to watch on Netflix now.
Written by Ellie Schlosser
