Sangre, sudor y gloria

Pain & Gain honestly has too many flaws to name, but for some reason I think this is a pleasure to watch. It can be extremely funny and entertaining. Especially if you are into fitness than this movie is for you.

I remember reading about this years ago. These idiots kidnapped and tortured this man until he gave up everything he owned. The actual account is significantly more chilling than depicted in the movie. The only embellishment seemed to be the stupidity of the villains. In actuality, it was their arrogance and hubris that got them caught.

I wasn't thrilled with the movie, but that doesn't mean it was not good. Actually, I think this film had incredible substance, due particularly in part to the casting. I would have given it 7 stars, but the length of the film took it down a notch (they could have knocked off 14-19 minutes worth of unnecessary, and sometimes boring footage).

The film started off with Wahlberg seeming to be just like Wahlberg. But, long story short, he and the film evolved to a character that fit him (and vice versa). Based upon the plot, I think it was a good match.

Dwayne Johnson is not brand new to drama, but this was a different kind of role nonetheless. I don't feel he was 100% there, but his likable character makes you just ignore it. I think with a few more roles like this, he'll be better.

I'm not that familiar with Mackie, but he did a great job in his role. Apart from Shalhoub, he was probably one of the most believable characters. He made me think of a subdued and more serious version of Mike Epps.

Shalhoub....well, what can you say about this guy? He was awesome in Monk, and his style is always great. He is a talented actor and the casting of him was a solid choice. He has that goof look to him, yet his face can show some noteworthy seriousness. This was no Giamatti being cast as a thug...Shalhoub can pull off a "tough guy" pretty well.

I've always been fond of Ed Harris, but his role was insignificant. Same for Corddry.

All in all, this was a well-made film deserving to be watched. I doubt I would ever watch it again due to it's slow development at times, but I'm glad I did see it. The casting was unexpected and unique.

Let me start this out by saying I hate Michael Bay. I hate Michael Bay. OK, OK, he's not the worst director in Hollywood. He's got his s**t together, and people are willing to pay him to glue together the worst movie ideas and turn them into a semi-watchable blockbuster. However, Pain & Gain isn't one of these movies.

"Wait, how does that make it good?" You ask? Well, my position is that Bay actually cared about this movie. He pitched this movie for years, even when he was a more struggling director, and nobody would buy it. Eventually, this movie was made on a measly budget of $26 million. Not exactly peanuts, but nowhere near the budget Bay is used to. I believe this encouraged him to put some real thought into it.

First of all, this is a dark, dark comedy at its core. It's Fargo ramped up to eleven and edited into the pace of a 2-hour-long seat-edging action thriller. The movie manages to go from serious, to gory, to slapstick all in a matter of minutes, and somehow still manages to work. It'll be impossible to keep yourself from cracking out in laughter, even though all of the characters are completely unlikable and self-absorbed. The movie constantly mocks gym jocks, self-help optimism, and class privilege. The acting is superb. All of the cast was well chosen, from Dwayne to Shalhoub and especially Wahlberg. And that shocking fridge horror moment comes with the realization that it all actually happened. Yes, unlike Fargo, that disclaimer at the beginning of the movie is an honest one, and the actual events are even more outrageous than this movie itself.

Most of the criticism seems to come from this movie being made as humor deriving from a true event, but I don't think it could have been done better any differently. All of the changes made to the events were understandable in order to make it watchable as a movie; Adding extra humor in order to balance the absurdity, merging a few characters into one much larger one, or even actually *toning down* a few parts to make them more believable. There are so many memorable moments that are permanently affixed to my brain, unlike other Bay films which are utterly forgettable. That makes this a cult classic, and easily one of my favorite movies.

Pain & Gain is a great movie with a very well developed storyline and an outstanding cast that have the ability both serious and funny which made them great casting for a movie I like this.Although it is very hard to believe,this is actually based on a true story,and as the movie continues it becomes more and more unbelievable,but are robed every now and again that it is actually a true story,which was clever because they obviously knew people would be thinking that throughout.This movie has different characters narrating throughout,which is something I have complained about in past reviews,I just think we should only be following one character,and when we learn about a different characters past it should still be the main character telling their story,I think it should have just been Mark Wahlberg's character telling the story instead of switching around to Dwayne Johnson,to Bar Paly and later on Ed Harris,they gave so much characters the chance to narrate which just really irritates me.The movie really is a breath of fresh air considering it is directed by Michael Bay,who's never done a movie like this before,and the characters are nothing like Mark Wahlberg,Dwayne Johnson or Anthony Mackie have played before. Pain & Gain is a very enjoyable movie that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good action or comedy.

Based on a true story about three bodybuilders who get involved in burglary and kidnapping in order to get all the money and wealthy lifestyle they desire,but to fact that none of them are particularity brainy dosen't help them.

Best Performance: Mark Wahlberg