6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
A pair of knucklehead bodybuilders in Florida get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ed HarrisAction | 100% |
Crime | 82% |
Dark humor | 19% |
Comedy | 16% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
If you're willing to do the work, you can have anything.
Colossal calves, titanic thighs, quality quads, awesome abs, formed forearms, bulging biceps, toned triceps, and shredded shoulders. Put in the
time
(lots of time) and the effort (tons of effort), chug the protein (how many scoops?), keep that metabolism running (it's a furnace!) and the heart
rate
up
(thumpthumpthump), the weight plates clanking (the sound of hard work), the grunts grunting (grunt), and the sweat pouring (splash, ew, wash
that
shirt tonight), and all of those things -- everything from the neck on down -- will become a reality. Bodybuilders look great -- at least the
ones that aren't
soaking up steroids and who appear
to be more veins and bumps than muscles -- and hats off to them for putting in a tremendous amount of effort, but the stereotype says that
classic
million-dollar
Olympia physiques usually come with the proverbial ten-cent heads. Indeed, the reputation of bodybuilders proceeds them, even more than the
formidable shadow they cast. But like most stereotypes, it's not always true. It's smart to train the body along the with the mind, but just as
there
are plenty of scrawny and unhealthy brains, so too are there plenty of knucklehead bodybuilders who probably have to add weight to the barbell by
plate size rather than
adding up the numbers on said plates. In Michael Bay's fascinating true-life tale Pain & Gain, it's not so much sheer stupidity that get
three
bodybuilders in a whole heap of trouble, it's instead bad luck, poor decision making, a failure in foresight, and definitely a whole lot of hubris and
incontrollable drive. Ultimately,
the weightlifting is but a backdrop; the film is really about human failings and a shockingly rapid descent into self-induced chaos.
Gaining. And losing.
Pain & Gain has put in its work at the gym and shows tremendous results. Paramount's 1080p transfer looks incredible, from the brightest Miami exteriors to the bleakest, bloodiest interiors. The transfers reveals an almost ridiculously brilliant palette, one that's awash in a huge variety of shades that sparkle under the Florida sun. Orange and baby blue workout shirts nicely contrast against a deluge of white early in the film, representing some of the finest colors in the film. There's a slight warmth to the palette for sure, but only slight. Skin textures never look hot and those boldest colors never appear overly saturated or processed. On the whole, this is a beautifully balanced array of colors. Blacks are deep and never drift away from a natural state. Details are just as impressive. Facial textures are naturally complex and the transfer shows every bead of sweat and splatter of blood in great detail. Sweatbands, clothing stitches, and other objects are reveled without flaw. Image clarity never wavers, and sharpness never dissipates. This is an excellent transfer in every area, one that feels cinematic from start to finish.
Pain & Gain's Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack dazzles. As expected, it's big and bold, effortlessly spaced and fully immersive. Much of the music is of the pulsing Dance variety. Heavy but balanced and accurate bass belts out of the subwoofer inside a strip club in chapter four. It's the really good sort of bass, the clean and potent type, not the rattly and vibrating variety. More, similar beats pound into the stage during a montage midway through the film. The surrounding elements come through with excellent clarity even considering the thunderous volume and prodigious low end. There are ample supportive elements, too, such as a crisply defined ringing of a church bell or the sonic atmosphere in and around the gym. Gunfire erupts on several occasions, hitting hard and spreading through the stage with the primary goal of placing the listener in the middle of the mayhem. The surround channels carry a healthy assortment of all musical, environmental, and action-sepcific effects. Dialogue plays with center-front balance and lifelike clarity. This is an excellent, exhilarating track from beginning to end.
Oddly, this Blu-ray release of Pain & Gain contains no bonus content. However, a UV Digital copy voucher and a DVD disc are included in the case.
Pain & Gain: less of the former, more of the latter. There's a lot to like about Michael Bay's most character-driven film. Morbid humor, sorrow, excitement, and fascination all come together into a fairly unique movie about man's ability to lose everything in the pursuit of the material, particularly by shady means and poor choices before, during, and after corruption. The story constantly evolves and becomes more and more ridiculous, but for all the unraveling, the tighter and better it becomes. Solid direction, superb pacing, and quality performances make this a surprise winner. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Pain & Gain features reference video and audio. Oddly, no extras are included. Recommended.
The Unrated Other Edition
2010
2014
2011
2010
35th Anniversary Edition
1987
2007
2011
2019
2017
2010
2012
2010
1998
IMAX Enhanced
2020
2013
Rock Out with Your Glock Out Edition
2010
2014
Extended Cut
2013
Director's Cut
2009
2018