Pain and Gain... Muscle Madness ~ Cinema Review

A bit of a belated blog post; but on Tuesday I was lucky enough to see a free early screening of Pain and Gain through Show Film First and Paramount Pictures  (18 days before release!). Starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie the film follows three bodybuilders who decide to branch out into kidnapping to realise their American Dream. 
The true story of The Sun Gym Gang, is much harsher than the film shows, but considering most people would struggle to believe it is true. Micheal Bay directed, in a departure from his Transformers fame, through the minefield of comedy into the realm of bizarre reality.
If you've some how missed the trailer, then I shall enlighten you  with it here.

Mark Wahlberg seems to be embracing a mixed variety of roles recently, and this was no exception. Daniel Lugo an enthusiast bodybuilder with the catchphrase 'I'm into fitness', his characters previous confidence scams, led him onto the genius plan. Despite problem after problem he has decided he's a 'do-er not a don't-er' and nothing will unravel his poorly laid out plans.









 Anthony Mackie plays Adrian Doorbal a fellow body builder who hadn't realised how dissatisfied he was with his life until steroid abuse rendered him impotent and started to affect his medical bills. The character is panicky and easily led by Lugo into disaster after disaster, even after meeting the girl of his dreams, he is still destined to screw up.

Dwayne Johnson (also known as The Rock  from WWE), portrays Paul Doyle, a freshly released criminal, who has renounced his sins for Jesus. In search of employment, he ends up being the third partner. An anti violence, anti drink potential do-gooder with a cocaine problem, another strange role for the man who's bread and butter is action films.










The chosen victim Victor Kershaw, played by Tony Shalhoub, is an arrogant rich idiot, one of my favourite quotes being ' You know who invented salads? Poor people!'. There was something about his character that immediately made you grind you teeth, but his determination to survive all the torture and absurd treatment gained him a grudging admiration.

The voice over narration by the actors gave the film depth and character back stories and the screen text helped you follow the mad-cap tale, as well as reminding you it was a true story. The supporting cast were all amazing, Denise Chamian deserves massive credit for her casting! 

The trailers all touted this film as an action/ comedy based on a true story. The film was massively enjoyable, ridiculously crazy at times it felt like watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon. By the end I was left with an overwhelming sense of bafflement at these three potential Darwin Awards winners. The black humour and ridiculous nature of the film leave you in no doubt that 'Truth is stranger than fiction'. 

If you're interested in learning more about the flashy cars featured in the film, there's a great site: Mojo Motors, which has more information on them.


Fun fact : Mark Wahlberg actual drives a Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster in the same pink/ lilac colour as the films Lamborghini Diablo SE30.