"Pain & Gain" movie review

                                                                  “Pain & Gain”

                                                              Rated R, 130 minutes

Normally, when I see a movie trailer has Michael Bay’s name attached to it, I laugh to myself at how ridiculous it will be. Don’t get me wrong, a long time ago Bay made an amazing film in “Bad Boys,” but I haven’t been a fan of any of his films since… until now. “Pain & Gain” returns Bay to his former glory offering an action-packed black comedy that becomes so outlandish, the film itself has to remind you that it’s based on a true story.

            The story follows Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), a Florida personal trainer who is sick of squeaking out a meager existence. After an arrogant client (Tony Shalhoub) spouts off about all the cash he has, Lugo decides he wants his own piece of the pie and devises a plan to steal the money. Lugo enlists the help of his steroid-injecting gym buddy, Adrian (Anthony Mackie), and Paul (Dwayne Johnson), a recently released convict who is trying to stay clean, sober and on a straight path. I don’t want to spoil the movie, so I won’t explain what happens, but I have one question… Does anything good ever come out of a kidnapping situation?        

            “Pain & Gain” is very funny in some places (The Rock using his grilling skills comes to mind), which works well to keep the film’s momentum moving along through some of the darker moments. Everyone in the cast is strong, including Ed Harris as a P.I. and Ken Jeong, as a skivvy, get-rich quick schemer, but it’s The Rock who steals the show. The guy is a charismatic, chiseled monster in this movie and he draws the filmgoer’s attention every time he’s on screen because he can make you laugh one minute and tear your arms off the next.

            This is the third film this year I’ve seen The Rock in (“Snitch” and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”) and he has only gotten better. Both he and Wahlberg are so charismatic you don’t mind the awful stuff they’re doing on the screen. If you want a film with naked chicks, cocaine, speedboats, bodybuilders, fast cars, severed limbs, tasers and plenty of demented laughs, look no further than “Pain & Gain.”