One of Mark Wahlberg’s best and most underrated crime thrillers has found a new streaming home to pump iron. Like Dwayne Johnson (who, coincidentally, also stars in the film), Mark Wahlberg is also known for his ridiculous workout routine, where he wakes up at 4 am to train every day, alongside a crazy diet. But for his 2013 crime thriller, Wahlberg took his physique to the next level. Alongside The Rock and the MCU’s Anthony Mackie, Mark Wahlberg got absolutely jacked to star in the underrated crime thriller, Pain & Gain.
Pain & Gain is now streaming on Paramount+. Directed by Michael Bay, Pain & Gain is based on the true story of the Sun Gym gang, who operated in South Florida in the ’90s. Mark Wahlberg stars as Danny Lup, who manages the Sun Gym, and thinks that a great way to get rich quickly is through extortion. By recruiting two amateur bodybuilders, Paul (Johnson) and Adrian (Mackie), the trio abduct a rich businessman in the hopes of attaining all his assets. The official synopsis reads:
“Danny Lupo (Mark Wahlberg), manager of the Sun Gym in 1990s Miami, decides that there is only one way to achieve his version of the American dream: extortion. To achieve his goal, he recruits musclemen Paul (Dwayne Johnson) and Adrian (Anthony Mackie) as accomplices. After several failed attempts, they abduct rich businessman Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub) and convince him to sign over all his assets to them. But when Kershaw makes it out alive, authorities are reluctant to believe his story.”
Among Michael Bay’s filmography, Pain & Gain wasn’t as successful as the likes of The Rock. However, it was far from the nightmare that was Transformers: The Last Knight. Pain & Gain holds a divisive Rotten Tomatoes score of 49%. Audiences were similarly split by the film, giving it a 47% user rating on RT. “This is hands down one of the best films I’ve ever watched. This is a must-watch movie. It’s very meaningful, it is fast-paced, great action, true and amazing story,” wrote one viewer on Rotten Tomatoes, while another said, “Very entertaining flick. Spectacular. The Rock’s best acting.”
What’s Next for Michael Bay?
Trying to keep track of Michael Bay’s upcoming movies is like keeping track of Dwayne Johnson’s supplement routine. The director has been attached to several new movies, including a Skibidi Toilet film (which is currently in production). But the director has also bounced between legacy sequels to some of his fan favorite films without a seemingly clear outcome on whether they will get made or not.
Bay was attached to direct a new Bad Boys film for Netflix, which would have starred Will Smith. However, he has since departed that project. Meanwhile, the Transformers franchise tried to make it work without Bay, but since Transformers One underperformed at the box office in 2023, Paramount is reportedly looking to bring the veteran director back to the beloved franchise for another installment.
