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Pain & Gain(2013)
Paramount Pictures Apr 26, 2013 | Wide
A trio of bodybuilders in Florida get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.
Releases
Original Release | Apr 26, 2013
Box Office
Results
$20,244,505
$49,875,291
$37,430,258
$87,305,549
Director & Top Cast
Technical Specifications
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital,Datasat
Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Showtimes
Your Location or
(U.S. Only)
Summaries
Plot Summary
- The film opens with Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) running from large numbers of heavily armed Miami police officers, only to be hit by a police cruiser. Then the story goes back in time a few months. Lugo is a schemer and recently released convict who served time for Medicare fraud. Sun Gym owner John Mese (Rob Corddry) hires him to increase membership and make the gym more fitness based. Lugo triples the gym's membership within six weeks and befriends trainer Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie). Doorbal, a bodybuilder, uses steroids, which render him impotent. Lugo soon lusts after the earnings and lifestyle achieved by Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub), a new gym member he begins to train who Lugo believes is a crook. Inspired by motivational speaker Johnny Wu (Ken Jeong), Lugo decides to be a "doer" and hatches a plan to extort Kershaw for his assets by kidnapping and torturing him.Lugo recruits accomplices Doorbal and Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson), a recently released cocaine-addicted convict who has turned to Christianity. Though Doyle is reluctant to join the team, he soon caves in after a violent altercation with his priest. This "Sun Gym gang" unsuccessfully attempts to kidnap Kershaw at home but incapacitates him with a taser outside his deli and takes him to a small warehouse he owns (which is stocked with sex toys). The kidnappers disguise their voices, but Kershaw identifies Lugo from his distinctive cologne. The scheme goes as planned otherwise: Kershaw makes calls, under duress, to provide fake explanations for his disappearance, gets his family to move out of state, and signs the documents that transfer his assets to Lugo. Lugo even bribes John Mese to notarize documents in Kershaw's absence by presenting documents signed by Kershaw and using Kershaw's money to sponsor the Sun Gym.The Sun Gym gang is able to collect Kershaw's money and assets, but they realize releasing him is a bad idea. Therefore, Lugo concocts a plan to kill Kershaw by forcing him to drink liquor and crash his BMW, making it look like a drunken accident. When Kershaw survives the crash, the gang burns the car with Kershaw in it. Kershaw escapes the blazing vehicle, so the gang runs over his body and leaves him for dead. Unbeknownst to them, Kershaw survives and is hospitalized. The Sun Gym gang members spoil themselves with Kershaw's riches. Lugo takes over Kershaw's car and his home in a ritzy Miami suburb; Doorbal marries his nurse, Robin (Rebel Wilson), and uses his cut to purchase penile erection treatments; and Doyle abandons his restraints of religion and sobriety and fritters away his money on cocaine and his new stripper girlfriend.Kershaw reports what happened to the police, but they are turned off by his unpleasant manner and don't believe his bizarre story even when he gives them Daniel Lugo's name, particularly because of Kershaw's blood alcohol level. He then contacts Ed Du Bois, III (Ed Harris), a retired private investigator, who declines to take the case but warns Kershaw to quickly leave the hospital before the gang returns to kill him. Kershaw takes his advice and hides in a motel. Upon reflection, Du Bois takes Kershaw's case and tails the Sun Gym gang. He visits the Sun Gym and meets with Lugo, who is suspicious after he mentions Kershaw's name.When Kershaw calls Mese about his stolen money, Lugo, Doyle, and Doorbal go to the motel to kill Kershaw but arrive too late, as he has checked himself out of the motel and is hiding at an abandoned baseball stadium. When Lugo and Doorbal find out that Du Bois is paying for Kershaw's room using Du Bois's credit card, they plan to kidnap him at his home. They arrive and prepare to kidnap Du Bois, but the plot is thwarted when the police stop by to drop off Du Bois. In order to evade arrest, Lugo and Doorbal run and jump off the dock into the water. Du Bois gets a message from Kershaw and goes to the stadium to take him home. Meanwhile, Doyle has wasted all of his cut and attempts to rob an armored car. However, dye-packs planted in the money bag explode, and he narrowly escapes the police, getting his toe shot off. He and Doorbal (who depleted his share on payments for treatments, his and Robin's wedding, and a new home) explain to Lugo they need more money, and they propose another kidnapping.They target Frank Griga (Michael Rispoli), who owns a phone sex operation. After a promising discussion at Griga's mansion, the gang invites Griga and his wife Krisztina Furton (Keili Lefkowitz) to Doorbal's home to propose an investment scheme. However, Griga insists on meeting with someone more experienced and questions Lugo's amateurish business savvy. This angers Lugo, who attacks Griga and accidentally kills him. Krisztina discovers this and tries to shoot Lugo, but Doorbal injects her with a horse tranquilizer. Lugo and Doyle try to use codes obtained from a heavily sedated Krisztina to open a safe at her and Griga's home, but the codes do not work. When Krisztina rouses and tries to escape, Doorbal gives her a second injection, accidentally killing her. Lugo and Doorbal purchase equipment to dismember the bodies and dump the body parts in several barrels, which they sink in a lake, while Doyle incinerates their hands (on a barbecue grill) to eliminate their fingerprints. Doyle loses his sanity over the violence and gore, leaves the gang, and returns to the priest's church. The police learn of Griga and Krisztina's disappearances, and with evidence from Ed Du Bois, they set a plan to arrest the Sun Gym gang. The film returns to June 17: The police arrest Doyle at the church, Doorbal at home, and Mese at Sun Gym. Lugo sees the raid and flees. Although he is hit by a police car, he escapes and heads out by sea in Kershaw's go-fast boat. Kershaw and Du Bois deduce Lugo is going after Kershaw's hidden bank account in the Bahamas and accompany the police to capture him. Lugo's pursuers catch up with him and Lugo runs. Du Bois shoots him, Kershaw chases Lugo in a car and incapacitates him, and the authorities arrest him. Lugo is brought back to the United States and stands trial with Doyle, Doorbal, and Mese. At the trial, it is revealed that Robin divorced Doorbal the night before she testifies against him.Daniel Lugo was sentenced to death, plus 30 days for "being an asshole" to a guard. Adrian Doorbal was sentenced to death. Paul Doyle was sentenced to 15 years, serves 7 years, and goes free and tries to apologize. John Mese was sentenced to 15 years and died in prison. Victor Kershaw's name was changed to protect the survivor. Sorina Luminita's name was changed to protect the survivor. She's currently not a movie star. The movie ends with Lugo's voice saying: "That's the American dream".
Storyline
- Based on the true story of Daniel Lugo ( Mark Wahlberg ) a Miami bodybuilder who wants to live the American dream. He would like to have the money that other people have. So he enlists the help of fellow bodybuilder Adrian Doorbal ( Anthony Mackie ) and ex-convict, Christian bodybuilder Paul Doyle ( Dwayne Johnson ). Their kidnapping and extortion scheme goes terribly wrong since they have muscles for brains and they're left to haphazardly try to hold onto the elusive American dream. — napierslogs Based on a real life story that took place in Miami during the late 1990s, Donald Lugo and Paul Doyle are two successful, yet cash strapped body builders who want to get out of the grind and get the wealth they feel they deserve. Doyle is a born again fundamentalist Christian who just got out of serving 10 years in prison. As good as he is at body building, he's sexually frustrated as years of doing hardcore steroids in prison have really taken a toll on his body and his manhood. Lugo is employed as a trainer and consultant at the gym that they belong to and wants to be the most successful person he can be with the help of a sleazy motivational speaker, he aims for the top. Then enters Victor Kershaw - a Colombian immigrant and semi wealthy restaurant franchise owner who joins the gym. The manically picky Kershaw begins to taunt every aspect of the workout he's being provided with. Eventually Doyle and Lugo decide that they've had enough of his madness. The two kidnap and torture Kershaw for a month to gain access to his fortune, which they then proceed to live the high life with. Unfortunately, as good as they are at body building, these two criminally inept criminals will soon get involved in crime after crime, and don't exactly have the brains to match their muscles to figure out how or where they went wrong. But how long and how far does their ill gotten and ill perceived success go? — halo1k In 1994, in Miami, the ambitious bodybuilder Daniel Lugo believes in fitness and dreams on living the American Dream, full of money and women. He decides to be a "doer" and plots a scheme to make money. Daniel invites his fellow bodybuilders Adrian Doorbal, who is impotent due to steroids, and ex-convict Paul Doyle, who is Christian and addicted to cocaine, to kidnap the unpleasant self-made Colombian entrepreneur Victor Kershaw and extort his fortune. However the plan goes wrong since the clumsy amateurish trio is stupid and make a series of mistakes. — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil In 1995, schemer Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) is a recently released convict who had served time for Medicare fraud. Sun Gym owner John Mese (Rob Corddry) hires him to increase membership and make the gym more fitness-based. Lugo increases the gym's membership by 75% within six weeks and befriends trainer Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie), a bodybuilder rendered impotent due to his steroid use. Lugo soon lusts after the earnings and lifestyle achieved by Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub), a sleazy new member he begins to train, who Lugo believes is a crook. Inspired by motivational speaker Jonny Wu (Ken Jeong), Lugo decides to be a "do-er" and hatches a plan to extort Kershaw for his assets by kidnapping and torturing him..
