Pain & Gain (2013) - Page 20 - Blu-ray Forum

eiknarf · 01-17-2014, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1badgmc

I'll agree with that. Both Bad Boys movies.

I was hoping to like it enough to buy it cuz I won't be getting any blu's until Gravity and Vanilla Sky. (Unless I end up liking Blue Jasmine or You're Next or whatever I rent soon)
I like redboxing blu's to find I love a title enough to run out and buy it.

CrazyBlu-RayFan · 01-30-2014, 05:29 AM

In my opinion, a big reason I love the movie was because it was a complete satire on American excess, which made Bay's excessive film making work so well with this film, as the movie used the vapid and selfish nature of the characters and their desire for excessive lifestyles to make commentary of the soulless and empty life styles of these characters and other people like them. And because of that commentary Bay's direction made it stronger due to how his style is usually used for empty, excessive, and vapid movies. The fact some people still complain it was made as a dark comedy confuses me. I'm sorry, but there is no way, I repeat, no way to do this film without it being funny, unless you want a completely untruthful version of the story. The gang were as stupid as the movie portrayed them, I didn't sympathize with them at all, I knew just from the movie these were bad guys, anyone who tries to get money by torturing someone is a bad guy. But the things the movie funny were also based from the real story, which was the criminals stupidity, I'll show you a list of how stupid they were in real life, with stuff that wasn't in the movie or at least were different in the movie:

Failed to kidnap the guy 7 times, they only fail 2 times in the movie, but it's understandable of not showing the other 6 times, because that would just slow the movie down.

They used code names, some of the code names were Batman & Robin, there are no words for this.

They had problems with more than 1 chainsaw, and one of the problems was that they forgot to get GAS FOR THE GAS POWERED CHAINSAW. And when one of them goes out to get some gas, he doesn't head back right away to get the job done, he first stops at subway for food.

And they actually planned to kidnap the guy dressed as ninjas, they didn't go through with it, they opted for a night at the strip club instead, but they still planned it.

And there is probably more, but you get the idea, this movie showed the criminals for exactly what they were; violent, strong, stupid, incompetent goofballs, most of the funniest moments were from the real life story, but most specifically the magazine article of the same name, a great read.

Here are the links, have a dark, but fun time:

Part 1: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1999-12-23/news/pain-gain/

Part 2: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1999-12-30/news/pain-gain-part-2/

Part 3: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2000-01-06/news/pain-gain-part-3/

Gold Ranger · 01-31-2014, 02:28 AM

I hate the "Based on a True Story" movies.
That said, I had no idea that this was one.
If I had known, I'd not have gotten it.
That said, I found it pretty funny... But I don't like the glamorization of the "bad side of life."

I don't know, I can't get my thoughts on the film/subject matter to transopse from my brain to the page...
I'll stop for now...

The Debts · 03-07-2014, 02:41 AM

Initially, I wasn't the biggest fan of this when I first saw it last year. Thought it went on too long, found it unfunny, and just a little depressing. Maybe Mark Kermode's infamous lambasting of it tainted my perspective.

Watched it again yesterday (and tonight again as well), and I can safely say that I was totally wrong on my first viewing. This was a hilarious work. It was still a little slow in some parts, but an entertaining piece of satire and action none the less.

Now, I just want to plead to Michael Bay to make more stuff like this, Bad Boys II and/or The Rock.

saprano · 03-15-2014, 04:25 PM

Why doesn't Paramount release this movie anymore?

saprano · 06-17-2014, 08:10 PM

Just finished watching this. Good movie. And Michael Bay again proves nobody can touch his visual style.

How much stuff in the movie was real? I felt weird even laughing at some parts since the story really happened.

wormraper · 06-17-2014, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saprano

Just finished watching this. Good movie. And Michael Bay again proves nobody can touch his visual style.

How much stuff in the movie was real? I felt weird even laughing at some parts since the story really happened.

you'd be surprised how much stuff was actually real. not everything of course, but a lot of the disturbing scenes really happened. like bbqing the hands

saprano · 06-18-2014, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wormraper

you'd be surprised how much stuff was actually real. not everything of course, but a lot of the disturbing scenes really happened. like bbqing the hands

Wow. Those guys were crazy.

Tony208 · 06-18-2014, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wormraper

you'd be surprised how much stuff was actually real. not everything of course, but a lot of the disturbing scenes really happened. like bbqing the hands

[Show spoiler]

serenityncc880 · 06-20-2014, 03:06 AM

loved this movie. really tempted to buy it no that its around $9, but i feel like it will drop lower soon.

I really love michael Bay when he is not doing Transformers 2 or 3 (4 TBD)

brooks101189 · 12-28-2014, 12:25 AM

Not sure if this was a fluke or not but I've bought this movie months ago and just now realized on the back of the UV slip was a UV code for The Italian Job.

solaris72 · 12-28-2014, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brooks101189

Not sure if this was a fluke or not but I've bought this movie months ago and just now realized on the back of the UV slip was a UV code for The Italian Job.

Weird! Was this in addition to a UV code for Pain & Gain or instead of?

brooks101189 · 12-28-2014, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solaris72

Weird! Was this in addition to a UV code for Pain & Gain or instead of?

Funny thing is, I also got the UV/Itunes for Pain and Gain. The Italian Job was just printed on the back of the UV slip.

StingingVelvet · 06-16-2017, 05:19 AM

Got this today for $4 at a used store expecting nothing but LOVED IT. Wow, great black comedy and crime movie in one. Really surprised. Will probably read through this thread on my phone here and there to see what others thought, but everything negative on IMDb seems to be about it "sympathizing" with the criminals. Uhhh... WTF movies did those people watch?

Anyway, great flick. Gorgeous too, would buy a UHD on day one.

Trekkie313 · 06-19-2017, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Got this today for $4 at a used store expecting nothing but LOVED IT. Wow, great black comedy and crime movie in one. Really surprised. Will probably read through this thread on my phone here and there to see what others thought, but everything negative on IMDb seems to be about it "sympathizing" with the criminals. Uhhh... WTF movies did those people watch?

A lot of the complaints come from it being based on a true story and being a Micheal Bay movie. It was easy to criticize.

It's his best movie since The Rock.

Shingster · 06-19-2017, 03:11 AM

I remember reviewing this on another forum when I caught it a year or two back. I'm completely in agreement with any accusation you can throw at the film, it's beyond morally repugnant. Here's what I wrote:

I'm sure I'm gonna get derided for saying this as there are a few Bay fans on here, but Bay's approach to this true story suggests, imo, that not only is he obviously a crap filmmaker, but I'm beginning to think it's possible he's a psychopath. Crazy accusation I know, but I feel that's the fundamental problem with Bay's output these days, it's like he has no grasp of humanity anymore and can only populate his work with empty facsimiles rather than believable or investable characters. You can't really connect to his films because there's nothing human about them.

The story Pain & Gain is based on is truly amazing and would make for an astonishing crime film laced with pitch-black comedy under any competent filmmaker, but what Bay does is take this real life crime, tells it reasonably faithfully in terms of following the sequence of events, and distorts it by making the innocent victims in the case these grotesque, contemptible bad guys whilst making the scumbag pyschopathic perpetrators of the crimes out to be hapless, loveable rogues - yes they twisted the American dream into psychotic excess, but fundamentally they are too stupid to be bad people.

The victims on the other hand aren't naive simpletons, they are portrayed as smug, petty, corrupt ********s with more money than morals. Now, I accept that in real life the guy they kidnapped and extorted (played by Tony Shalhoub) might have been as dodgy as they come (the US government's case against him depended on testimony from one of the guys who abducted him, so who knows), but there's no evidence to suggest the murder victims were anything but sweet-natured innocent immigrants who had lived the real American dream and got targeted for it. It's just astonishing, this has to be the most morally bankrupt film I have ever seen - or at least it's the most morally bankrupt approach to a true story I've ever seen. Not sure which. Maybe both.

I mean, was Bay trying to satirise the entire story like defenders of the film claim? Yes there's satire of what the american dream can lead to, linking it to films like Wolf of Wall Street, but the tone of the film is jacked up farce, there's no wryness or any sense of irony about it. Plus the story isn't told exclusively from the criminal's persepective (because Ed Harris's private eye is a co-narrator telling most of the first victim's post-crime story), so you lose the reading that the victims are being portrayed how the criminals viewed them. I just don't get what this film is supposed to achieve beyond cheap laughs at Marky Mark and The Rock acting like idiots living life to excess and blundering through a double-murder.

I'd urge anyone to read Pete Collins's Miami New Times article on the crimes, it might take you longer to read than the film did to watch but it's a fantastic article that reads more like an Elmore Leonard novella. If this story had been given to talented writers - the team behind Justified for instance (Graham Yost, Dave Andron, Fred Golan, Chris Provenzano) - then this could have been one of the best crime films of recent years.

Bay on the otherhand fell in love with the Miami NT article and told Paramount he wouldn't make another Transformers film until they let him adapt this story, but it seems the only thing Bay got from reading said article was a loud, brash comedy about jacked up simpletons trying to live the dream who severely botched a double murder. That's the only aspect of the story he was interested in. Like I say, this guy is not in touch with humanity at all.

What a waste!

Trekkie313 · 06-19-2017, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shingster

it's beyond morally repugnant.

[/i]

Repeat to yourself, its only a movie.

Shingster · 06-19-2017, 03:19 AM

How many opinions on film have you read? Repeat to yourself: Not everyone is going to share your viewpoint.

Trekkie313 · 06-19-2017, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shingster

How many opinions on film have you read? Repeat to yourself: Not everyone is going to share your viewpoint.

Calling a movie morally repugnant is a bit much in my opinion, it reminds me of the 80s when media criticism was huge double-standard.

Shingster · 06-19-2017, 03:34 AM

Well. put it this way. How do you think the friends and relatives of the people murdered and the guy tortured felt when they watched the film? Probably just laughed it off!. When you do a true crime biography like this you have a moral responsibility for the portrayal of the victims, Bay didn't give a **** about the victims in this case.

01-30-2014, 05:29 AM	#382
CrazyBlu-RayFan Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Sep 2012 Location:Colorado 4K collection:308 Blu-ray collection:800 DVD collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:84	In my opinion, a big reason I love the movie was because it was a complete satire on American excess, which made Bay's excessive film making work so well with this film, as the movie used the vapid and selfish nature of the characters and their desire for excessive lifestyles to make commentary of the soulless and empty life styles of these characters and other people like them. And because of that commentary Bay's direction made it stronger due to how his style is usually used for empty, excessive, and vapid movies. The fact some people still complain it was made as a dark comedy confuses me. I'm sorry, but there is no way, I repeat, no way to do this film without it being funny, unless you want a completely untruthful version of the story. The gang were as stupid as the movie portrayed them, I didn't sympathize with them at all, I knew just from the movie these were bad guys, anyone who tries to get money by torturing someone is a bad guy. But the things the movie funny were also based from the real story, which was the criminals stupidity, I'll show you a list of how stupid they were in real life, with stuff that wasn't in the movie or at least were different in the movie: Failed to kidnap the guy 7 times, they only fail 2 times in the movie, but it's understandable of not showing the other 6 times, because that would just slow the movie down. They used code names, some of the code names were Batman & Robin, there are no words for this. They had problems with more than 1 chainsaw, and one of the problems was that they forgot to get GAS FOR THE GAS POWERED CHAINSAW. And when one of them goes out to get some gas, he doesn't head back right away to get the job done, he first stops at subway for food. And they actually planned to kidnap the guy dressed as ninjas, they didn't go through with it, they opted for a night at the strip club instead, but they still planned it. And there is probably more, but you get the idea, this movie showed the criminals for exactly what they were; violent, strong, stupid, incompetent goofballs, most of the funniest moments were from the real life story, but most specifically the magazine article of the same name, a great read. Here are the links, have a dark, but fun time: Part 1: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1999-12-23/news/pain-gain/ Part 2: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1999-12-30/news/pain-gain-part-2/ Part 3: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2000-01-06/news/pain-gain-part-3/ Last edited by CrazyBlu-RayFan; 10-27-2020 at 02:03 AM.

01-31-2014, 02:28 AM	#383
Gold Ranger Banned Member since:Jan 2011 Location:NY, TX, CA, IL, HI, NC, PA, WV, MO 4K collection:23 Blu-ray collection:65 DVD collection:2 Trading Score:133	I hate the "Based on a True Story" movies. That said, I had no idea that this was one. If I had known, I'd not have gotten it. That said, I found it pretty funny... But I don't like the glamorization of the "bad side of life." I don't know, I can't get my thoughts on the film/subject matter to transopse from my brain to the page... I'll stop for now...

03-07-2014, 02:41 AM	#384
The Debts Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:Jun 2013 Location:ME 4K collection:57 Blu-ray collection:334 DVD collection:181 MA collection:143 Digital collection:211 iTunes collection:147 Prime collection:122 Blu-ray reviews: 5	Initially, I wasn't the biggest fan of this when I first saw it last year. Thought it went on too long, found it unfunny, and just a little depressing. Maybe Mark Kermode's infamous lambasting of it tainted my perspective. Watched it again yesterday (and tonight again as well), and I can safely say that I was totally wrong on my first viewing. This was a hilarious work. It was still a little slow in some parts, but an entertaining piece of satire and action none the less. Now, I just want to plead to Michael Bay to make more stuff like this, Bad Boys II and/or The Rock.

03-15-2014, 04:25 PM	#385
saprano Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Bronx, New York Blu-ray collection:495 Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:9	Why doesn't Paramount release this movie anymore?

06-17-2014, 08:10 PM	#386
saprano Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Bronx, New York Blu-ray collection:495 Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:9	Just finished watching this. Good movie. And Michael Bay again proves nobody can touch his visual style. How much stuff in the movie was real? I felt weird even laughing at some parts since the story really happened.

06-20-2014, 03:06 AM	#390
serenityncc880 Active Member Member since:Nov 2012 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:-	loved this movie. really tempted to buy it no that its around $9, but i feel like it will drop lower soon. I really love michael Bay when he is not doing Transformers 2 or 3 (4 TBD)

12-28-2014, 12:25 AM	#391
brooks101189 Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jan 2010 Location:My Home Trading Score:102	Not sure if this was a fluke or not but I've bought this movie months ago and just now realized on the back of the UV slip was a UV code for The Italian Job.

06-16-2017, 05:19 AM	#394
StingingVelvet Blu-ray Grand Duke Member since:Jan 2014 Location:Philadelphia, PA 4K collection:852 Blu-ray collection:2331 DVD collection:111 Digital collection:12 Trading Score:69	Got this today for $4 at a used store expecting nothing but LOVED IT. Wow, great black comedy and crime movie in one. Really surprised. Will probably read through this thread on my phone here and there to see what others thought, but everything negative on IMDb seems to be about it "sympathizing" with the criminals. Uhhh... WTF movies did those people watch? Anyway, great flick. Gorgeous too, would buy a UHD on day one.

06-19-2017, 03:11 AM	#396
Shingster Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009	I remember reviewing this on another forum when I caught it a year or two back. I'm completely in agreement with any accusation you can throw at the film, it's beyond morally repugnant. Here's what I wrote: I'm sure I'm gonna get derided for saying this as there are a few Bay fans on here, but Bay's approach to this true story suggests, imo, that not only is he obviously a crap filmmaker, but I'm beginning to think it's possible he's a psychopath. Crazy accusation I know, but I feel that's the fundamental problem with Bay's output these days, it's like he has no grasp of humanity anymore and can only populate his work with empty facsimiles rather than believable or investable characters. You can't really connect to his films because there's nothing human about them. The story Pain & Gain is based on is truly amazing and would make for an astonishing crime film laced with pitch-black comedy under any competent filmmaker, but what Bay does is take this real life crime, tells it reasonably faithfully in terms of following the sequence of events, and distorts it by making the innocent victims in the case these grotesque, contemptible bad guys whilst making the scumbag pyschopathic perpetrators of the crimes out to be hapless, loveable rogues - yes they twisted the American dream into psychotic excess, but fundamentally they are too stupid to be bad people. The victims on the other hand aren't naive simpletons, they are portrayed as smug, petty, corrupt ********s with more money than morals. Now, I accept that in real life the guy they kidnapped and extorted (played by Tony Shalhoub) might have been as dodgy as they come (the US government's case against him depended on testimony from one of the guys who abducted him, so who knows), but there's no evidence to suggest the murder victims were anything but sweet-natured innocent immigrants who had lived the real American dream and got targeted for it. It's just astonishing, this has to be the most morally bankrupt film I have ever seen - or at least it's the most morally bankrupt approach to a true story I've ever seen. Not sure which. Maybe both. I mean, was Bay trying to satirise the entire story like defenders of the film claim? Yes there's satire of what the american dream can lead to, linking it to films like Wolf of Wall Street, but the tone of the film is jacked up farce, there's no wryness or any sense of irony about it. Plus the story isn't told exclusively from the criminal's persepective (because Ed Harris's private eye is a co-narrator telling most of the first victim's post-crime story), so you lose the reading that the victims are being portrayed how the criminals viewed them. I just don't get what this film is supposed to achieve beyond cheap laughs at Marky Mark and The Rock acting like idiots living life to excess and blundering through a double-murder. I'd urge anyone to read Pete Collins's Miami New Times article on the crimes, it might take you longer to read than the film did to watch but it's a fantastic article that reads more like an Elmore Leonard novella. If this story had been given to talented writers - the team behind Justified for instance (Graham Yost, Dave Andron, Fred Golan, Chris Provenzano) - then this could have been one of the best crime films of recent years. Bay on the otherhand fell in love with the Miami NT article and told Paramount he wouldn't make another Transformers film until they let him adapt this story, but it seems the only thing Bay got from reading said article was a loud, brash comedy about jacked up simpletons trying to live the dream who severely botched a double murder. That's the only aspect of the story he was interested in. Like I say, this guy is not in touch with humanity at all. What a waste!

06-19-2017, 03:19 AM	#398
Shingster Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009	How many opinions on film have you read? Repeat to yourself: Not everyone is going to share your viewpoint.

06-19-2017, 03:34 AM	#400
Shingster Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2009	Well. put it this way. How do you think the friends and relatives of the people murdered and the guy tortured felt when they watched the film? Probably just laughed it off!. When you do a true crime biography like this you have a moral responsibility for the portrayal of the victims, Bay didn't give a **** about the victims in this case.

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