Pain & Gain Review

Director: Michael Bay.

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Rebel Wilson.

Running Time: 129 minutes.

Certificate: 15.

Synopsis: Three Floridian bodybuilders get mixed up in an extortion ring and kidnapping scheme that spirals wildly out of control. Based on a true story.

Despite being directed by Michael Bay, PAIN & GAIN should peak the interest of more than just cinemagoers who get their kicks from loud bangs and boobies, as it’s based on a fascinating true story, was shot on a relative micro-budget, and sees Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson attempt out-and-out comedy with a surprising level of success. Bay’s swapped his dynamite for protein shakes and he means business.

We’re plonked in 1995, and it’s all floppy hair and Adidas sweatpants. The film takes its time with the setup, but Mark Wahlberg’s Daniel Lugo is a character worth getting to know. Having grown bitter with his lot spotting flabby achievers in the Sun Gym, he sets about kidnapping and extorting a shady Jewish businessman named Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub) with the help of fellow meatheads, Adrian (Anthony Mackie) and Paul (Dwayne Johnson). Unfortunately the kidnappers are several dumbbells short of a gym, which draws some laughs and even more ultra-violence.

The three actors at the film’s centre share some decent comedic chemistry and it’s undeniably funny at times. However, with a runtime of 129 minutes, the actual laugh out loud moments are sparse. Mark Wahlberg does a great job as the greedy commander-in-chief, while Dwayne Johnson takes to comedy like a bodybuilder to steroids. His character is oddly inconsistent, though, flip-flopping between being the voice of reason and a colossal moron. Anthony Mackie does well not to blend into the background when still not quite a household name, but Adrian’s fling with a nurse (Rebel Wilson) dealing with his impotence plays for cheap laughs and is an unnecessary distraction from the main plot. Ed Harris’ inclusion as a wily private investigator is an inspired casting decision though, and his introduction to proceedings marks the point where the film finally threatens to get cooking.

The ‘true story’ nature of the film won’t sit well with everyone, as the brutality of the crimes committed don’t lend themselves to comedy as much as the protagonists’ stupidity. The real life families of the victims would probably have been more comfortable with a film that didn’t depict The Rock browsing sex toys, grown men drinking breast milk and naming their genitalia alongside the documenting of their loved ones’ demise.

Michael Bay’s camera ducks, soars and holds on tits as much as you might expect in one of his summer blockbusters, and while he’d have done well to concentrate more on nailing the film’s tone and making his leading men more likable, you have to hand him some credit for playing to his strengths. All in all, PAIN & GAIN is a bittersweet affair; the bloated runtime is definitely a pain that’s at least partially remedied by the gain of some decent performances, but it’s not a film that will live long in the memory.

PAIN & GAIN will be previewing in UK cinemas on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th August before its full release on Friday 30th August.