Pain & Gain (2013)

[a dark ,dark comedy]

Pain & Gain (2013)

IMDB- 6.7

Rottentomatoes- 45%

RJG Rating- 70

3 bodybuilders get tangled up with some truly unbelivable stuff as they enter a world of drugs and kidnapping.

Starring- Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Rock Johnson, Anthony Mackie

Director- Michael Bay

Mark Wahlberg leads the trio ,and hes pretty much good at what he does.Dwayne ROCK Johnson ,continues his streak of action roles ,and he once again delivers ,this time with his "strong body-soft heart" type role.Anthony Mackie gives a good balancing act to the two stars and manages to find a place amongst Mark & Dwayne.The acting here isnt anything exceptional ,the main requirement here was to build up their bodies ,which the trio have done quite remarkably.But they step up in the final part of the movie ,where things get really wacky.

Pain & Gain is based on a true story ,which in Hollywood means it has around 10% resemblance to the actual event.Pain & Gain is one heck of a story.The story completely goes nuts towards the end ,and at times its really unbelievable thats its true.Its a wild movie ,which could have been a thrilling dramatic movie ,but somehow is presented as a comedy.And thats where P&G succeeds.The story at start might not get a grip on you ,but once it does ,you are hooked on till the end.

Another highlight are the characters.None are heroes or good guys.They are all bad.And this isnt one of those movies that make the bad guys look so cool that you end up supporting them.P&G's strange sense of humour helps with the transition from "boring" to "likeable" to "wtf".

Ill admit it,Michael Bay has finally come out with something good.Or atleast something thats better than all his previous movies.The pacing was a bit slow at the start ,but it catches up towards the middle and goes steady towards the end ,reaching a high with the climax.The music ,and action scenes were well implemented.With P&G ,Bay actually delivers a good movie.It could have become just another crime drama ,but the way Bay handles the material ,the story is given one heck of a presentation that so easily covers up the gruesome stuff thats actually happening.

Overall ,Pain & Gain is a fun movie if you dont mind some violence.And you shouldnt miss this ,just because its directed by Bay.Its actually his best movie so far.

Acting- 2.5/5

Story- 3/5

Direction- 3.5/5

Comedy- 3.5/5

Action- 3.5/5

Drama- 3/5