‘Pain & Gain’ surprisingly well-done Michael Bay flick
Something interesting happened during “Pain & Gain”: It turns out its director, Michael Bay, known for “Transformers” and his explosive excess, actually can direct.
We’re not talking Terrance Mallick or even Ben Affleck here, but Bay somehow — finally — created something resembling polished sleaze. It’s more of a compliment than you may think.
Lest we forget, this still is a Michael Bay film, which requires excess like you wouldn’t believe. It’s clear “restraint” is not a word Bay throws around during production. But then again, with the success that is “Transformers,” you can’t blame him.
Instead of giant alien robots, though, this time we have giant body builders, fiery explosions, a mind-boggling amount of slow motion and pretty ladies in thongs galore. And, and we can’t forget the music. The loud, loud music.
The thing is, though, Bay — along with “Pain’s” supporting cast — create what should have been a disaster into something just a bit better. It’s a merger of sleaze and a slight polish to its veneer. The story, based on fact, relates to a Florida crime. But Bay takes it just a bit further: extortion and torture and strippers and private detectives. And let’s not forget the sleaze. You may feel like you’re suffering through a South Beach weekend bender, and you wouldn’t be far off.
The leads — Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson — lend their star power to the movie, but do little more than portray conflicting stereotypes. Which is hardly surprisingly. Both men excel in their very limited skills sets, and that’s OK. No one sees a movie because of how compelling those two are.
Instead, the much-better supporting actors, including Anthony Mackie, Ed Harris and Rebel Wilson, shine in their respective roles. It more or less makes up for the lackluster leads. They seem to understand Bay’s desire to emphasize that this crime movie works to be more than just naked American ambition. It’s subtle (maybe even a bit too so), but the little touches from the saturated filming to the low shots to the well-chosen soundtrack go a long way. It doesn’t hurt that Miami provides the sun-streaked background here.
It’s an example of when someone tries to take a different tack, to go just a bit outside of his comfort zone. Not far, if you count the car chase scenes, but it’s appreciated nonetheless. Especially because “Pain & Gain” can be brutal and violent, at times even leaving you feeling a bit nauseous.
But let’s hand it to Bay, who showed us he can produce something worth watching. You can argue whether this is his best work to date, but that we’re having that conversation only speaks praise. Here’s hoping for his next one.
Three sleazy stars out of five.
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