Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain Explores the Destructive Depths of the American Dream (No, Seriously)

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“I don’t just want everything you have. I want you not to have it.”

Masculinity, materialism and the American Dream are themes often explored by Hollywood cinema. Michael Bay’s new film, Pain and Gain, brings those themes together, marries them with the ideal of the male physique, and then pushes it all to farcical, destructive extremes. Yes, you read that correctly: Michael Bay has finally made a film worthy of deep consideration.

Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie and Dwayne Johnson star in this black comedy, based on a true story about three bodybuilders and personal trainers who kidnapped a rich client, played by Tony Shalhoub, and forced him to sign over all his worldly possessions. Along the way, these hapless idiots brush with failure, but it’s only when they achieve success that their world really begins to fall apart.

Beyond its surprisingly decent screenplay—easily the best Bay has worked with since The Rock—the big, obvious highlight is the cast. All three of the lead actors are hilarious and perfectly pitched for the farce at hand. Wahlberg delivers his best work since The Departed, carrying the film, giving it an honest weight while also busting out his comedic chops. Mackie is similarly funny. The real standout, though, is Dwayne Johnson, whose performance is so endearing, so magnetic and so funny that we may justifiably deem Pain and Gain his true breakout film. Until now he’s been a great, charming presence in action films, but with this role he proves just how great an actor he is.

It’s important to note that Pain and Gain is not an action film. Sure, it’s a Michael Bay film, but there’s only one explosion in the movie, and it’s not even in the context of an action sequence. Yet, Pain and Gain may be Bays most aesthetically dynamic movie, often switching between film and digital cameras, using flashy title card screens, and even employing hilarious voice-over narration from just about every character. The narration from these multiple points of view often conflict, adding an extra layer of insanity to the proceedings.

It’s not style for lack of substance either, which is the wonderful thing. Bay’s excessive, aggressive style embodies the characters’ outlook on the world. They are there to live out the American Dream, which to them means being as fit as possible and having as much money as possible, and at the expense of others if possible. You see, to these men, it’s not enough to achieve success. Their success needs to be greater than yours. This mentality is informed not just by the workings of the Miami culture the characters are inhabiting, but also by the media they consume. It’s not just a throwaway joke when Mark Wahlberg’s character, Daniel Lugo, cites “men” like Rocky, Scarface and Michael Corleone as his heroes and role models.

Bay’s filmmaking is genuinely invigorated, not by the childish wanton destruction of his previous films, but by the thematic content of the film. If these characters envision themselves as heroes in Hollywood films, place them in that context and see how well they fit. Despite seeing themselves as heroes filtered through the adrenaline-fuelled, amped up vision of a commercial/action director like Michael Bay, the plot is much more Coen brothers; it simply can’t end well for these men. Amazingly, Bay never let’s the audience forget this. It’s almost a form of self-satire. The brazen, masculine style is surely fun to watch on-screen, but its implications are dark and twisted when transplanted into a real-world context.

Bay’s film isn’t without its faults, though. Some jokes and gags simply don’t land, though most of them do. The film is a little overlong, which, with so much plot and such brash style, does get occasionally tiring. Most troubling, though, is his continued misogynistic depiction of women. Now, there is a degree to which the film satirizes the way these men view women, as well as the way some women knowingly try to fit those awful male fantasies. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t take this exploration very far and the women mostly end up being ugly caricatures without the dimension afforded their male counterparts. It’s a small issue in the scope of the film, but it’s a serious one nonetheless.

Those reservations aside, Pain and Gain, even without a ton of explosions, may be the film Michael Bay was born to make. It’s certainly the most intelligent of his films, not only at a narratively, but also in its thoughtfully and farcically outrageous style. It’s also a crazy, fun, hilarious ride with standout performances, and some turns in the plot that will make your jaw drop when you realize they actually happened.