Michael Bay is best known for massive action blockbusters like Transformers. However, one of his best is a whole size smaller. We’re talking about Pain & Gain, which is on TV tonight. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you should definitely take a look. A sunny fever dream awaits you.
In the action comedy, Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Mackie meet a Dwayne Johnson who doesn’t just flex his muscles. In Pain & Gain, Johnson delivers best performance of his career away. It’s an extremely entertaining, but also bitterly evil and abysmal trip through the streets of Miami.
What you need to know about Pain & Gain
Pain & Gain in a nutshell: This is the plot
At the center of the story are three bodybuilders Daniel Lugo (Wahlberg), Paul Doyle (Johnson) and Adrian Doorbal (Mackie), who dream of a life of luxury. To make her dream come true, They kidnap a wealthy man from the gym. Their grand master plan turns out to be a failure.
You can watch the trailer for Pain & Gain here:
Pain & Gain – Trailer (German) HD
Pain & Gain is a film that, at first glance, is all muscle. Michael Bay’s camera, which is never at a loss, turns on to enjoy the exhibits on displayexamines every single inch of Wahlberg, Johnson and Mackie’s upper arms. The steeled bodies are the first step towards achieving the American dream.
However, the recordings soon reveal a repulsive world full of abysses: Behind the perfect bodybuilder facade in the sunny holiday paradise of Florida hides a fragile America, which Michael Bay captures on the screen in all its aberration and consciously exaggerated images exposed.
Pain & Gain with Dwayne Johnson is funny and depraved
It’s amusing, but also frightening at times: Pain & Gain unfolds as a mesmerizing muscle epic that draws us to the side of the criminals. Then follows one Punch in the gut and the laughter gets stuck in your throat. Everything that is set up in Pain & Gain comes crashing down later in the film.
This is especially true for (symbolic) muscle mass. Lugo, Doyle and Doorbal can lift as many weights as they want: nothing gives Bay more joy than that fainting of their bodies – and sometimes also their disintegration – to be observed. Pain & Gain has a very dark sense of humor and doesn’t miss any opportunity to provoke.
The real story behind Pain & Gain
Pain & Gain reminds us several times that this is a true story acts. As crazy as the plot sounds, the screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely didn’t make it all up. The basis was a series of articles by Pete Collins that appeared in the Miami New Times in 1999.
The characters of Wahlberg, Johnson and Mackie are based on the Sun Gym Gearwho killed two men and blackmailed and kidnapped another in the 1990s. The film, of course, takes some creative liberties with the details. In general, Michael Bay sums up the madness of the story very well.
When will Pain & Gain with Dwayne Johnson be on TV?
Pain & Gain is on tonight on November 5, 2024 at 10:35 p.m. on Kabel Eins. With advertising, the broadcast lasts until 1:05 a.m. The repeat follows at 3:00 a.m. If that’s too late for you, you can stream the film with a subscription on Netflix. You have to hurry though. It will only be available to stream for a few days.