THE HANGOVER PART III

   

Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, some violence and drug content, and brief graphic nudity

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, with Justin Bartha, and John Goodman

Written By: Todd Phillips and Craig Mazin

Directed By: Todd Phillips



LEAVING LAS VEGAS
Review By Andrew Shuster

Four summers ago, The Hangover came out of nowhere and took the record for the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time, dethroning Beverly Hills Cop. Two summers ago, The Hangover Part II arrived and went on to become the second highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time. This summer, the trilogy ends with the The Hangover Part III. Can the final installment become the third highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time? Maybe not. But that's not to say it doesn't deserve it.

Writer/director Todd Phillips and co-writer Craig Mazin did something gutsy this time out. There is no hangover in this movie. Ditching a working formula was both a brave and much needed move as despite it's incredible success, the general complaint about Part II was that it was a retread of the first movie. While that accusation cannot be made of Part III, general audiences may not be much happier with the idea of deviating from a 'party movie' into something much darker. They'd be wrong. This is either the most suspenseful comedy ever made or the funniest thriller ever made.

In lieu of a drunken night of debauchery where the boys blackout and need to piece together clues of what happened the night before, the format is completely different. This time around, the boys need to a pull a heist to recover gold bricks stolen from a mobster named Marshall (John Goodman).

The film opens with a Shawshank Redemption inspired prison break in which Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) busts out of a Bangkok prison, where he was being held since Part II ended. More on him later. We then catch up with Alan (Zach Galifianakis) whose speeding down the road with his new pet giraffe in a trailer attached to his car, all the while blasting Hansen's Mmmbop. If you've seen the trailers, you know this doesn't end well as the giraffe can't quite make it through an underpass. Alan's father (Jeffrey Tambor) reprimands him for this high-profile disaster. "Your 40-years-old and still living at home!", Alan is insulted by this, "I'm 42 dad! I'm 42!". A lot more time is focused on Alan this time around, bumping him up from supporting character to main character, and rightfully so. Galifianakis is the funniest person in these movies. Alan's infantile id is expanded on and he's perhaps stranger in this movie than in the others. Refusing to take his meds, Alan is more psychotic, narcissistic, sociopathic, and moronic than ever before. The film sets its darkly comedic tone early on when Alan's father dies of a heart attack while yelling at him. Alan doesn't notice because he's too busy listening to Billy Joel's My Life on his headphones.

Alan's family decide they need to stage an intervention and get him into a treatment facility. To do this, they need to bring back 'The Wolfpack', Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Doug (Justin Bartha), the only people who can convince him to go. On the road to rehab, they are attacked by Marshall and his thugs. Due to events that occurred in the first film but unbeknownst to the boys, they are partly responsible for Mr. Chow stealing Marshall's $21 million dollars in gold. Marshall kidnaps Doug and gives them 48 hours to track down Chow and return the gold, or Doug gets it. Again, the writers figured out a way to get rid of Doug early on. I agree with the decision, but Justin Bartha should be really insulted at this point. In not so many words Todd Phillips is telling him, "Sorry Justin, but you're just not funny enough to be in the movie". This sets up the adventure as the boys need to track down Chow, traveling from Tijuana back to where it all started, Las Vegas. Heists and hijinks ensue.

Cooper and Helms get less to do this time around being mostly delegated to playing the 'straight-men'. This is Alan and Chow's show. They're two of the most insane and moral-less characters to ever appear in a comedy. Jeong's hilarious performance as Chow is particularly impressive, based on the fact that I typically find the actor irritating in other films. There's a scene where Stu and Chow need to a break into a house while crawling on all fours and wearing dog collars designed to not set off the alarm. Chow sniffs Stu's butt, "I'm saying hello! We dog's remember?". I'm aware that's really stupid. But, what can I tell you, I laughed.

Galifiankis gets the best one-liners of the movie and perhaps of the entire series. We also get a lot more pathos out of him, as this is somewhat a coming-of-age story, albeit of a 42-year-old man. Along the way, Alan learns to grow up. Jade the stripper (Heather Graham) from the first movie makes a reappearance. With her is the baby the boys' found in the closet of their hotel room, now 4-years-old. There's a bittersweet scene where Alan spends alone time with the boy in a tent filled with toys. Don't get the wrong idea. Alan's no pervert, he just has a childlike mentality and is able to relate to children better than adults. His 10-year-old neighbor from across the street is his swimming buddy. As he says in the first movie, "I'm not allowed within 200 feet of a school". I'm sure whatever happened was an innocent misunderstanding. Talking with the 4-year-old, Alan learns how to be an adult for the first time, taking on the role of a father figure. When the boy asks "Are you my real daddy?", Alan says "Yes". He is not. But we get the idea that Alan is ready to take on some form of responsibility.

For the first time romance is in the air for Alan, who woos a pawn shop owner played by Melissa McCarthy in a very funny cameo. She's also a short-tempered megalomaniac with an affinity for Billy Joel. They're a match made in heaven. The two's passing of a lollipop from one mouth to the other is both sweet and disgusting. Bromance is in the air as well. Alan's man-crush on Phil is fleshed out and brought to a conclusion. While on a stakeout Alan gets distracted by Phil's shirt, "That's a cute top. Is that from the Diesel store?". The chemistry between Galifianakis and Cooper is great, especially highlighted in a scene where they need to drop onto a balcony while hanging from bed sheets at the top of Caesar's Palace.

If the Coen Brothers and Farrelly Brothers ever collaborated on a movie, we might get something like The Hangover Part III. Don't go in expecting the wild, lewd, and rambunctious romp of the first two films. Some of this movie plays flat out dark and serious. But as a fan of dark comedy, I embraced the tonal shift with open arms. It works as both an exciting crime thriller as well as a consistently funny comedy. Perhaps not rolling-in-the-aisles funny, but I chuckled throughout. Make sure to stick around during the end credits for a bonus scene. I won't spoil anything, but the epilogue wraps up the series on a perfect note, teasing the possibility of another sequel. No need for dramamine, the final Hangover is a blast.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

   

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence

Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Bruce Greenwood, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Alice Eve, with Leonard Nimoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch
Written By: Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof
Directed By: J.J. Abrams



BOLDLY GOING INTO MEDIOCRITY 
Review By Andrew Shuster

Star Trek into Darkness starts off promising with a fairly exciting chase on an alien planet as Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) tries to recover some sort of artifact and escape with it. Meanwhile, Spock (Zachary Quinto) is in the middle of a volcano overflowing with lava trying to turn on some sort of machine. I couldn't tell you why they were doing this, but for the moment I was just going with it. After awhile I got sick of playing along. The movie is under-plotted, yet still confusing and takes a whole lot of time to explain very little.

The plot is simple yet you wouldn't know it listening to all the technical jargon used to describe what's going on. Only, the technology used doesn't exist, so the jargon is nonsense. The plot is pretty basic. A space terrorist going by the name John Harrison (not his real name, you'll find out who he is later) attacks the Federation, destroying a command center and killing many Trekkers. Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew are sent to capture him and bring him to justice by trial. We spend twenty minutes on the Enterprise before it ever takes off learning about this. Theres some maintenance issues that need to be worked out because it's really exciting to watch a ship being repaired. Spock and Kirk argue about wether they should kill Harrison or capture him. Kirk acts on emotion and wants to kill him while Spock acts on logic and wants to capture him. It takes about ten more minutes, but they do decide to just capture him.

The cast is strong, but with such a large ensemble it seems as most of the characters are given less to do than in the first movie where the actors' screen-time was balanced better. Sulu (John Cho) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) in particular are almost like glorified extras. The standouts are Quinto as Spock, and Harrison played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch makes a great ruthless, heartless S.O.B., but it's too bad he wasn't the villain in a better franchise, like the Bond or Batman films.

While most of the attempts at humor are lame, Quinto does get some funny dialogue as the half-human/half-Vulcan emotionless and robot-like Spock. His inability to pick up on sarcasm and slang makes for some clever one-liners. The original Spock (Leonard Nimoy) makes a cameo appearance as future Spock. At least, I think he was future Spock but I don't remember time travel ever being mentioned.

What the movie gets the most right is also perhaps the most important aspect and that's the action sequences. Director J.J. Abrams knows how to shoot a fight scene, be it by hand-to-hand combat or spaceship, and the visual effects mixed with the choreography are very impressive. They're consistently entertaining to watch, but as a result of never becoming invested in the story, they weren't particularly exciting. The action scenes deserve to be surrounded by a better movie where it feels like more is at stake in the story and for the characters.

I'm beginning to think J.J. Abrams isn't the genius he's made out to be. I built up a lot of good-will for him for being the mastermind behind Lost, but his big-screen efforts (Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible 3) have been good, not great. This is his weakest movie, not as good as the first and if there isn't a third I'd be fine with that. He was recently hired to direct a new Star Wars movie, giving him control over the two most popular sci-fi franchises of all time.

With a lack of a more involving/interesting plot, Star Trek into Darkness is a disappointing sequel. Although the action/adventure sequences are fantastic, unlike the Enterprise I was never fully engaged. I'm tempted to go with two stars, but I'll add half a star for the solid craftsmanship and the remaining good-will I have left for J.J. Abrams.

THE GREAT GATSBY

   

Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, and Joel Edgerton

Written By: Baz Luhrman and Craig Pearce (Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Directed By: Baz Luhrman

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT

Review By Andrew Shuster

Adapting to film what is considered by many to be the greatest American novel of all time is no easy task. The new version of The Great Gatsby is ambitious and immense in scope, but ultimately a mess. Along with many other literary classics, F. Scott Fitzgerald's epic take on 1920's America and forbidden romance, has been widely deemed "unfilmable". Perhaps because it is the eloquence and power of Fitzgerald's words, not so much his plot and characters that made his novel so great.

The film is visually stunning thanks to the direction and style of Baz Luhrman who also directed the ritzy Moulin Rogue. The parties that Gatsby throws at his Long Island mansion are wildly brought to life with top-notch production and costume design. They're so over the top and extravagant that it appears as though every penny of the films' $100 million budget is onscreen. It's during these party scenes that Luhrman makes the best use out of the 3D format. However, the look of the film is by far its best aspect.  This is a perfect example of style over substance.

The other best aspect of the movie is Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as Jay Gatsby. DiCaprio is one of the best actors of his generation and was probably the best choice to play the lonely and mysterious millionaire. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of the cast. Tobey Maguire plays Nick Carraway, who's actually the real main character of the story as everything occurs from his point of view. He serves as the narrator and also has more screen-time than DiCaprio. But, Maguire doesn't show much emotion or excitement and just kind of mopes his way through the movie. The biggest flaw of all might be Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan. The entire concept revolves around the idea that Gatsby is hopelessly in love with Daisy, throwing his lavish parties with the hope that she might one day show up. There's nothing about Mulligan's performance to sell herself as so breathtaking that Gatsby wants to devote his life to her. Mulligan just comes off as a second-rate Michelle Williams. Joel Edgerton gives the only other good performance in the movie as Daisy's husband and Gatsby's rival Tom Buchanan. There's a fairly tense confrontation between Gatsby and Tom in a suite at the Plaza Hotel. It's well-acted, but also one of the films' few moments of tension.

Credit is due for integrating a modern hip-hop soundtrack into the setting, making for a more fun aspect than one would expect from such dense source material. The set design and visual effects used to create New York City in the 20's are so outlandish that the addition of rap music serves to elevate the surrealistic feel. Nothing looks like anything in real life as most of the film was shot on green screen and it feels as if we're in an alternate universe of 1920's NYC where Jay-Z existed.

Students studying the novel in class can put down their SparkNotes and just see this movie, as the themes and motifs inferred by Fitzgerald but left open to interpretation are clearly explained, then hammered over the audiences head. The two most famous symbols in the book are the green light at the end of Daisy's dock and an old advertising billboard displaying bespectacled eyes. That green light is so mystical and has so many different meanings but only one is ever brought up in the film. It turns out that all those hours spent in English class discussing and analyzing these images were not necessary. According to the filmmakers there is a definitive answer to what each figure represents. 

The Great Gatsby is nice to look at but doesn't give you anything to care about. There are fleeting moments of interest sandwiched in between long stretches of boredom. A popping soundtrack and impressive visuals are all well and good, but they should add to a movie, not be the movie. It's a shame to see talented people waste their time when they could have been involved with better projects. It was probably a mistake for Warner Bros. to give them the "green-light".   

IRON MAN 3

   

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi violence and action throughout, and brief suggestive content

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau, and Ben Kingsley
Written By: Drew Pearce and Shane Black
Directed By: Shane Black



A VERY IRON MAN CHRISTMAS
Review By Andrew Shuster

The Christmas movie season has arrived! Excuse me, the summer movie season has arrived, only if you didn't know better you might think you've time jumped to the holidays with the Yuletide themed Iron Man 3. As inexplicable as the setting is for a May release, it actually fits quite nicely with the tone of the movie. Bringing Christmas cheer is only one of many ways that this tongue-in-cheek summer blockbuster shakes things up.

Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, managing to elevate what is already pretty solid material. The film opens on Christmas Eve 1999 where Tony is wooing botanist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), more interested in bedding her than listening to her pitch on the plants she's producing that contain healing properties. That same night Tony meets Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), the inventor of an experimental new substance called Extremis, which can regenerate new limbs and heal the body, but comes with a price due to some unwanted side effects. Aldrich hopes to sell his product to Stark industries but Tony leaves him stranded on the rooftop as the New Year rings in. It's no surprise that Aldrich will reappear with a vengeance, as there's a reason why Guy Pearce is in the movie, and such an insult to an already unstable man is the perfect recipe in creating a super villain.

Back in present day, Tony is suffering from panic attacks as a result of the alien invasion he dealt with in last year's The Avengers. For whatever reason it took Aldrich 14 years to plan his revenge as Tony had some other foes to deal with in the two previous installments. However, his timing is impeccable due to a shaken up Tony Stark who's normally cool-as-a-cucumber. In a seemingly unrelated dilemma (but is it?), an international terrorist has emerged going by the moniker 'The Mandarin' (Ben Kingsley) who's already enacted numerous attacks on America and promises more to come.

The plot and its logistics have never been a strongpoint with these films but it hardly matters. All that needs to happen is for Tony's enemies to raise the stakes, giving him the need to suit up and save the world, and this film's villains do just that. While it takes a while in introducing the new characters and their dynamics (the first action sequence doesn't take place until about 30 minutes in), once things kick into gear the rest of the movie is an exciting ride.

The second act feels more like a James Bond movie than a superhero film, with Tony globetrotting for clues as to The Mandarin's whereabouts. Ok, Chattanooga, Tennessee and Miami aren't quite as exciting as the locales that Mr. Bond visits but Tony manages to get himself into equally thrilling dilemmas.  One of the nice things about this aspect is that we get to see Tony out of the Iron Man suit more in this entry than any of the others. Making him vulnerable as opposed to invincible adds another layer of tension and danger. Being that Downey Jr. is the best asset of these movies, it's much more satisfying to see him in the flesh as opposed to enclosed in a metal suit. His undercover operation/"Bond"-inspired  infiltration of a mansion in Miami outdoes any sequence in the last couple James Bond movies.

There's a great plot-twist in the ultimate reveal of who The Mandarin really is. Comic book purists may be angry over the complete derision of the character from his origins, but I can't think of another comic-book movie that has handled a super-villain quite like this. No spoilers here, but it's like something out of an Austin Powers movie. I can't quite get into Ben Kingsley's performance without approaching spoiler territory, but I will say that he's both sinister and hilarious. Guy Pearce is a serviceable and competent bad-guy but not quite on par with Jeff Bridges and Mickey Rourke, the Iron Man 1 & 2 baddies, respectively. He doesn't ham it up quite as much, but provides a sufficient danger nonetheless.

The always solid Don Cheadle gets plenty to do and does it well, and for the first time Gwyneth Paltrow is allowed in on the action, not merely delegated to damsel-in-distress. She's still often in distress, but this time around we get to see her "suit up" once or twice which is quite interesting. I smell a spin-off. Iron Woman anyone?

Director Shane Black takes over the reins from Jon Favreau, the helmer of the two previous films, although Favreau returns in a supporting role as Tony's longtime bodyguard Happy Hogan. For the first time the irony of that isn't lost on the screenwriters, "People laugh in my face when I tell them I'm Iron Man's bodyguard", says Hogan. Black injects a much needed new energy into this franchise giving it a different feel from 1 & 2, and making for a film that works just as much as a stand-alone as it does a sequel. With only one previous film to his name, 2005's Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, also starring RDJ, Black handles this big-budget extravaganza like a pro. Black is most well-known as a screenwriter having penned such films as Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout and Last Action Hero. For the few people who saw Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, they'll know it's a clever send-up of the film noir genre. Last Action Hero parodies the action film. Black is clearly a movie buff who enjoys skewing the conventions and cliches of a genre but at the same time reveling in them. His approach makes this the most self-aware movie of the Iron Man franchise, as if to say "We know this is silly, but just go with it". Black is known for his Christmas spirit, with the holiday being implemented into his other films in one way or another. Perhaps this entire time he's been lampooning Die Hard, the mother of all action movies, whose Christmas setting was so integral it almost served as a supporting character.

The third act is full-on excitement with an attack on Air Force One giving Iron Man the impossible (or is it?) task of saving a dozen people plummeting to their deaths. The final set-piece occurs at a construction site making great use of the props and heights such an environment would contain. A superhero movie needs to go out with a bang and this one doesn't disappoint.

This is the best Iron Man outing to date and perhaps the best Marvel Production yet. While it doesn't have the exuberance or non-stop mayhem of The Avengers, it's a preferable change of pace. Impressive as it undoubtedly is, being bombarded with too much spectacle can become wearisome and desensitizing after awhile. Tony Stark is an interesting enough character that some downtime with him is welcomed. Sometimes all you can ask for is a fun time at the movies, and this ridiculously entertaining summer blockbuster delivers. Iron Man 3 succeeds on all fronts, being a legitimate superhero movie, all the while toying with the genre. It has its iron and eats it too.

THE ICEMAN

   

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content

Cast: Michael Shannon, Wynona Ryder, Ray Liotta, David Schwimmer, Robert Davi, with James Franco, Stephen Dorff and Chris Evans
Written By: Morgan Land and Ariel Vromen
Directed By: Ariel Vromen



COLD-BLOODED
Review By Andrew Shuster

Michael Shannon is one of the best and most interesting character-actors to emerge in recent years and his performance as Richard 'The Iceman' Kuklinski solidifies his graduation to leading man. The Iceman takes place in New Jersey from the 1970's through 80's and chronicles Kuklinski's career as a mafia hit-man, with over 100 murders to his name. There's a sustained level of tension throughout, with a few scenes reaching edge-of-your-seat status.

Kuklinski begins his journey as a dubber for porn movies, although he tells his wife Deborah (Wynona Ryder) that he dubs Disney cartoons. The pornography operation is run by Roy Demeo (Ray Liotta) a ruthless mob boss. It seems as if Liotta's played this same role in the last ten movies he's been in, however few actors play as good a scumbag as Liotta, and I wouldn't mind seeing him do this part in his next ten movies. Because of his cold dead eyes that suggest a madman lurking beneath, Kuklinski is hired by Demeo to be his "iceman", or contract killer. In a very tense scene, Demeo wants to see if Kuklinski has the brass for the job, and orders him to kill a random homeless man on the street. There's a certain recklessness and immorality associated with this group even more so than in your average gangster flick. For example, we kind of like the trio of killers in Goodfellas, but there's nothing to like about Demeo and his hoodlums.

What progresses after Kuklinski gets the gig are a series of murders that he performs as nonchalantly as if he were tying his shoe. In a rather sadistic scene, Kuklinski pays a visit to Marty Freeman (James Franco), an amateur photographer who knows a bit too much. Kuklinski gets a kick out of watching Marty kneel down and recite the Lord's Prayer while a gun is pointed in his face. "Go ahead and pray. If your god can come and stop me from killing you in the next thirty minutes you can walk away". Thirty minutes passes. "I guess god's busy". Suffice to say, James Franco only has once scene in this film. While that's perhaps his most disturbing hit, Kuklinski was killing before he ever got paid for it. In flashbacks we see a young Richard Kuklinski deeming insults and cross looks grounds for capital punishment.

In a true testament to his performance, Shannon is so scary in this role that you'd be nervous to meet the actor in person. And yet, the film still makes the mistake of attempting levity by making him somewhat of an anti-hero. "Is there any job you won't take", a friend asks him, "I don't kill women or children", he responds. There's also the major subplot and dynamic of Kuklinski's family life. He loves his wife and two daughters but not enough to keep them out of harms way with his activities. In one of the film's most intense scenes, Kuklinski gets involved in a fender bender while driving with his wife and children. The passenger in the other car is less than polite during the altercation curising out Kuklinski and his family. In a blind rage, Kuklinski speeds down crowded streets and through alleyways chasing the man. His wife and girls' become terrified, crying and screaming for him to stop but he's so focused on vengeance he doesn't even hear them. Kuklinski shows a possessive determination in protecting his family, but is it really his family he's trying to protect or his own ego? His family is an extension of him, they represent him and to insult them is to insult him. As a result he dangerously risks the lives of his wife and daughters in a thoughtless car chase because a man said some unkind words to them. Make no mistake, this is a bad bad man, but the film still wants you to feel some camaraderie with him if only for the fact that most of the other characters are even more evil. There's also an attempt to justify or understand his behavior through flashbacks to his father beating him as a child. It's a misstep the film takes in what should have been a strict character study of an unredeemable killer.

 A great supporting cast sells this material more effectively than it probably was in script form, with each actor getting a scene or two to shine. The aforementioned Ray Liotta is incredibly sinister making you hate him with a passion. It was a bit disconcerting seeing David Schwimmer pop up as Josh Rosenthal, one of Demeo's henchman. He's decked out in a leather jacket and rocking a handle-bar mustache, but personality wise, he's not much different than if Ross from "Friends" had joined the mob. Stephen Dorff makes a powerful appearance as Kuklinski's younger brother Joey, who's serving a life sentence for the murder of a 12-year-old girl. After an unpleasant exchange while visiting Joey in prison, he tells Richard, "Who do you think you're fooling playing family man? You're gonna end up right here with me". Chris Evans, better known as "Captain America", couldn't be more different than his superhero alter ego giving a great performance as Mr. Freezy, Kuklinski's fellow hit-man. To give some insight into this character's psyche, at one point he suggests that he and Kuklinski kill each others families because "They're loose ends, what if they talk?". His nickname 'Mr. Freezy' comes from the fact that he drives an ice-cream truck as a cover for his hits, often hiding the bodies in the truck's freezer. He teaches Kuklinski this method, employed so that the cops won't be able to identify the victims time of death. Kuklinski adopts this strategy giving 'The Iceman' a double meaning.

The film is quite violent and doesn't shy away from showing the audience Kuklinski using his various killing tools, such as guns, knives, icepicks, and cyanide. He liked to switch up his methods almost viewing his manhunts as a sport. The graphic violence serves to amp up the tension as there are many moments throughout the film where you know someone is about to be murdered, you just don't know how or when. The musical score adds to the overall feeling of dread, and when things get too quiet you know you're about to witness something horrifying.

While The Iceman doesn't show us anything we haven't seen before from this genre, it's still a solid entry in the myriad of mob movies, working both as a character study of a sociopath as well as a crime drama. A great cast serves to elevate the material and director Ariel Vromen is adept at constructing suspenseful sequences. It's a slight entry as far as mafia sagas go, but if you have a soft spot in your heart for films about organized crime and maniacal killers, this one's worth seeing.

PAIN AND GAIN

 

   

Rated R for bloody violence, crude sexual content, nudity, language throughout and drug use

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Rob Corddry, Bar Paly, Rebel Wilson, Ken Jeong, and Ed Harris

Written By: Christopher Markus and       Stephen McFeely
Directed By: Michael Bay

IF STUPIDITY WAS A CRIME, THEY'D BE ON DEATH ROW

Review By Andrew Shuster

The world's dumbest criminals get tied up in a scheme of extortion, kidnapping, murder, and body building in 1990's Miami. That's the concept of Pain & Gain, an absurdly entertaining two hours spent with the scum of the earth.

Based on a series of articles written by Pete Collins and featured in the Miami New Times, this is an unbelievably true account of inept criminality and as events get progressively more preposterous in the third act, a title card pops up to remind us "This is still a true story".

Mark Wahlberg plays Daniel Lugo, a personal trainer at the Sun Gym who single-handedly boomed business by offering free membership for strippers. Unhappy with a meager existence of trying to get unenthusiastic Floridians into shape, he decides he is better deserving of the spoils that his rich clientele have. When he meets the smug and insulting Victor Crenshaw, played by Tony Shaloub with a great perception of an unbearable prick, Lugo decides that Crenshaw will make the perfect mark. Lugo tells him, "I don't just want what you have, I want you not to have it!". Getting roped in to his unthought out plan are co-workers Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and Paul Doyle (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson).

Problems arise every step of the way in the quest to obtain Crenshaw's wealth, with the men resorting to Plans X, Y, and Z, that go off no better than Plan A. These situations are better off left a surprise, but let's just say that the three men's strategies make the two inane kidnappers from 'Fargo' look like criminal masterminds. As an ex-con/ex-drug addict whose found Jesus, Paul Doyle is by far the best role 'The Rock' has ever had. Who knew that sweet and dopey was his acting forte? He's the most endearing character in the movie and plays it better than any tough-guy role he's taken on to date. Wahlberg hasn't been this big a megalomaniac sociopath since his turn in Boogie Nights, perfectly portraying a naive man with delusions of grandeur and no idea as to how the world works. Mackie is serviceable as the third stooge but probably the weakest link of the film as he may actually come off a bit too intelligent.

More sprinkles of comic relief are provided by supporting characters played by Rebel Wilson, as Mackie's wife, Ken Jeong, as a sleazy motivational speaker, and Rob Corddry as Wahlberg's clueless boss. Bay smartly keeps their screen-time and one-liners to a minimum as Wilson and Jeong are better in doses, however more Corddry would have been welcome. In one of his better roles in recent years, Ed Harris plays a private detective hired by Shaloub in order to exact vengeance on the 'Sun Gym Gang'. Harris is the closest thing the film has to a likable and decent human being.

In a clever twist, although Shaloub is the helpless victim, he's such an insufferable jerk that we can't help but side with the gang to take his fortune from him. One of the best scenes in the movie features a botched execution attempt to off Shaloub's character. The methods used by the gang to kill him and ultimate survival of Crenshaw would be all too ridiculous if it didn't actually happen.

Some may grow tired and weary during the third act when things really hit the fan, but somehow the idea that this all really went down (more or less) kept me from rolling my eyes. One scene in particular that highlights the incredible stupidity of the real-life criminals is when Lugo and Doorbal attempt to return a chainsaw to Home Depot because they weren't happy with it's durability in disposing of dead bodies. I suppose they weren't familiar with Home Depot's return policy on chainsaws covered in blood and hair.

Michael Bay, a director not known for his subtlety having been behind the camera for such films as Transformers and Armageddon comes the closest he's been to subdued, although still can't help himself from filming a two-character conversation with sweeping camera movements. The style works for the most part. In the hands of a more intimate director this would have been a quieter crime story, but Bay's tone adds a surreal element to what is already a surreal story.

Some controversy has arisen based on the film's insensitive and darkly comic depiction of tragic real-life events. Undoubtedly, the real Lugo, Doorbal, and Doyle were probably not as funny or dare I say likable as the film's three protagonists. If anyone at all, we're expected to be rooting for them in a strange way. The film even plays up the idea that the three men accidentally got in over their heads and didn't want to resolve to murder but circumstances led them there. Personally, I don't see a big issue in skewing true life incidents especially since this isn't a very well known story, however I can see why those who knew the victims may be upset. Perhaps it would have been better had the film not insisted "This is a true story" in lieu of the term "Based on a true story".

Overall, Pain & Gain is a fun time at the movies as long as you're able to have fun with main characters who aren't good people. There's some spurts of graphic violence, such as an amputated toe being used as a chew toy for a Chihuahua, and if that sounds like something you might be interested in than I recommend this to you. Always engaging, often exciting, and increasingly ridiculous, this is a mean little crime comedy to see before the summer superheroes arrive and the world feels safe again. As the old adage says, it's funny because it's true.