It's been a long time since I've written a review for a film, but Michael Bay's Pain & Gain is worthy of review and discussion. This is a mildly flawed picture directed by a bombastic director who seems to have no limits in how far he is willing to go. It's also, in my honest opinion, one of the most intriguing and thought-provoking films I've seen in sometime. On a first viewing, I can say that this might be the biggest accidental masterpiece of cinema I've ever seen. It's not a great film, in the traditional sense, but it entertains and provokes on levels that remind me of the greats. It's a very odd specimen, in that the material really calls for a more subtle and finer touch, but instead it's a Michael Bay film. The lasting effect is an evil monster of a movie with no morality, but begging for forgiveness. This is a must see film.
On the surface and from the trailers, it seems no different than your average dark comedy/crime film. Many reviewers have compared it to a poor man's Fargo, which in many ways it is. One reviewer called it, "Fargo meets The Three Stooges." This is pretty accurate. Fargo is the better film. Hell, the Stooges are probably superior because at least they have likability going for them. However, Pain & Gain is one of the most unique American films I have seen in sometime.
To be frank, this film is as sociopathic as the three characters it portrays. I don't think I have ever seen a movie (maybe Bad Boys 2) that so hilariously portrays murder and mayhem in such a confusing fashion. Pain & Gain is flat out hysterical with its hijinks and goof-ballness for about the first 45 minutes. I could barely contain myself in the beginning; it earns it laughs, in a genuine way. It represents BLACK COMEDY at its finest. Then the film gets serious, REALLY serious, and perhaps unbeknownst to Michael Bay. I'm not really sure. Pain & Gain drastically changes tone in one of the most bizarre ways I've ever seen. It's bizarre in the fact that the film is no longer funny, but we're still supposed to laugh. And we do. At least I did. Bay purposely or not purposely ignores what is expected of this genre and continues to present the film as a good-time; until it isn't.
For all intents and purposes, a film maker like Michael Bay probably shouldn't tackle such a heavy subject matter and present it in such a funny way, when in reality, it's not funny at all. The presentation of this film is bizarre. Murder can be funny, as it has been in many films, but there is a line you don't cross. Pain & Gain crosses that line. When you verge from the comedic to the horrific, it should be a graceful transition for the audience. Not the case here. When Pain & Gain ceases to be enjoyable and likable, it resists, for better or worse. Michael Bay doesn't know if he should portray this story as real gruesome crime drama or keep playing it for laughs; so he does both. What we're left with, is a film with some of the most unlikable characters in recent memory that demand to be liked. The leads are three antagonists who so badly want to be protagonists, it's hard not to fight it. The good guys (Tony Shalhoub and Ed Harris) if you can call them that, are so unlikable and uninteresting, the viewer can only relate with the three bad amigos. We like them. They are great guys, for being murderers. The most likable character is portrayed by The Rock (who should earn a Best Supporting Actor Nomination). He's not really down for murder, unless he's told to do so. Even then he frowns with guilt, against Wahlberg's and Mackie's reassurances. He's an evangelical Christian trying to spread the word of Jesus when he's not doing cocaine off of a hot Russian woman's stomach. My kind of fella.
I really like Pain & Gain. This will be an entertaining film for some, probably disgusting for most, but this is an important film. At its core, this is a film about seizing the American dream (in an anarchist style) and asking its audience to accept it or get lost. The film is so in your face and cruel, it demands a reaction. Michael Bay has always brought out strong feelings with cinephiles. People argue about how good and/or bad he is. He may be both, but he is the type of film maker who always brings a reaction to his viewer. The sign of a true artist. Here is a film that has so much to say regarding murder, America, greed, image, and just making it in this life; yet it's disguised as just a regular "movie". This is the type of movie you could sit down with your best buddies while you're drinking beers, farting, laughing, and giggling. Pain & Gain deserves so much more. This is the American Dream on steroids.
Pain & Gain is my type of "movie". I have and will see better films this year, but this is type of the film I love. It shows how fun it can be when a film maker decides to just go balls-to-the-wall and not give a damn. It shows how actors like Mark Wahlberg and The Rock can be amazing. It shows how the most exciting films are those that bring a strong reaction, be it good or bad. It's the reason I love the movies.
On the surface and from the trailers, it seems no different than your average dark comedy/crime film. Many reviewers have compared it to a poor man's Fargo, which in many ways it is. One reviewer called it, "Fargo meets The Three Stooges." This is pretty accurate. Fargo is the better film. Hell, the Stooges are probably superior because at least they have likability going for them. However, Pain & Gain is one of the most unique American films I have seen in sometime.
To be frank, this film is as sociopathic as the three characters it portrays. I don't think I have ever seen a movie (maybe Bad Boys 2) that so hilariously portrays murder and mayhem in such a confusing fashion. Pain & Gain is flat out hysterical with its hijinks and goof-ballness for about the first 45 minutes. I could barely contain myself in the beginning; it earns it laughs, in a genuine way. It represents BLACK COMEDY at its finest. Then the film gets serious, REALLY serious, and perhaps unbeknownst to Michael Bay. I'm not really sure. Pain & Gain drastically changes tone in one of the most bizarre ways I've ever seen. It's bizarre in the fact that the film is no longer funny, but we're still supposed to laugh. And we do. At least I did. Bay purposely or not purposely ignores what is expected of this genre and continues to present the film as a good-time; until it isn't.
For all intents and purposes, a film maker like Michael Bay probably shouldn't tackle such a heavy subject matter and present it in such a funny way, when in reality, it's not funny at all. The presentation of this film is bizarre. Murder can be funny, as it has been in many films, but there is a line you don't cross. Pain & Gain crosses that line. When you verge from the comedic to the horrific, it should be a graceful transition for the audience. Not the case here. When Pain & Gain ceases to be enjoyable and likable, it resists, for better or worse. Michael Bay doesn't know if he should portray this story as real gruesome crime drama or keep playing it for laughs; so he does both. What we're left with, is a film with some of the most unlikable characters in recent memory that demand to be liked. The leads are three antagonists who so badly want to be protagonists, it's hard not to fight it. The good guys (Tony Shalhoub and Ed Harris) if you can call them that, are so unlikable and uninteresting, the viewer can only relate with the three bad amigos. We like them. They are great guys, for being murderers. The most likable character is portrayed by The Rock (who should earn a Best Supporting Actor Nomination). He's not really down for murder, unless he's told to do so. Even then he frowns with guilt, against Wahlberg's and Mackie's reassurances. He's an evangelical Christian trying to spread the word of Jesus when he's not doing cocaine off of a hot Russian woman's stomach. My kind of fella.
I really like Pain & Gain. This will be an entertaining film for some, probably disgusting for most, but this is an important film. At its core, this is a film about seizing the American dream (in an anarchist style) and asking its audience to accept it or get lost. The film is so in your face and cruel, it demands a reaction. Michael Bay has always brought out strong feelings with cinephiles. People argue about how good and/or bad he is. He may be both, but he is the type of film maker who always brings a reaction to his viewer. The sign of a true artist. Here is a film that has so much to say regarding murder, America, greed, image, and just making it in this life; yet it's disguised as just a regular "movie". This is the type of movie you could sit down with your best buddies while you're drinking beers, farting, laughing, and giggling. Pain & Gain deserves so much more. This is the American Dream on steroids.
Pain & Gain is my type of "movie". I have and will see better films this year, but this is type of the film I love. It shows how fun it can be when a film maker decides to just go balls-to-the-wall and not give a damn. It shows how actors like Mark Wahlberg and The Rock can be amazing. It shows how the most exciting films are those that bring a strong reaction, be it good or bad. It's the reason I love the movies.