Pain & Gain (2013)
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A group of bodybuilders becomes entangled in a violent and escalating extortion scheme in Miami.
The story
In 1994, ex-con and bodybuilder Daniel Lugo is hired as a manager for Sun Gym. He befriends trainer Adrian Doorbal and becomes envious of the lifestyle of Victor Kershaw, a wealthy member he begins to train. Inspired by a motivational speaker, Daniel decides to extort Victor for his assets. He recruits Adrian and another ex-con, Paul Doyle, to join the scheme. The group eventually kidnaps Victor, leading to a series of escalating events as the men attempt to seize his wealth and assets while navigating the consequences of their actions in the Miami underworld.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1994, Daniel Lugo, an ex-con and bodybuilder, joins forces with Adrian Doorbal and Paul Doyle to extort a wealthy man named Victor Kershaw. After kidnapping Kershaw and successfully obtaining his assets, the trio attempts to eliminate him, but he survives and goes into hiding. As the men spend Kershaw's money, they become involved in further crimes, including the accidental murder of a businessman and his girlfriend. The situation spirals out of control as the police begin to close in. While the men are eventually apprehended, the story concludes with a trial where Paul Doyle provides a full confession, leading to the sentencing of the others. The film concludes with the legal outcomes for the primary characters and the resolution of the investigation.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 129
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Bay
- Writers
- Christopher Markus · screenplay; Stephen McFeely · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Mark Wahlberg · Daniel Lugo; Dwayne Johnson · Paul Doyle; Anthony Mackie · Adrian Doorbal; Tony Shalhoub · Victor Kershaw; Ed Harris · Ed Du Bois, III; Bar Paly · Sorina Luminita; Rebel Wilson · Robin Peck
- Genres
- black comedy; crime; action; comedy
- Themes
- greed; consequences of crime; bodybuilding culture
- Tone and mood
- darkly comedic; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- true story; crime; action
- Source material / true-story basis
- A 1999 series of Miami New Times articles by Pete Collins about the activities of the Sun Gym gang.
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, praised for its script, direction, and performances, but criticized for its historical inaccuracies.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 49% · scale: percentage · review count: 199; Metacritic · score: 45 · scale: 100 · review count: 42; Cinemascore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The title is a play on the fitness adage 'no pain, no gain'.; The film was based on a series of articles about the Sun Gym gang.; The production budget was approximately $26 million.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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