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.