Michael Bay is a director critics aren’t the fan of but his movies still do well with the audience. In fact, he is one of the most popular action directors of the time. He has his own style of filmmaking, with explosions and larger-than-life action. His auteur makes him stand out among the action directors, especially with his favorite dolly shots. Although he is best known for the Transformer series, the director has worked on many other action films. Some of them are even better than the franchise that made him famous. Here are a few Michael Bay movies you should watch apart from The Transformers.
The Rock is one of Michael Bay’s finest
This is the film that made Nicolas Cage as we know him to be now. He was not an action star before The Rock came out. Before this, he was only seen in comedies and dramas. And not just Cage, he paired him up with the hair pieced Sean Connery. The two go on a secret mission to rescue tourist hostages from the island prison of Alcatraz. Also, to stop the rogue Marine Corps general from using the hostages to blackmail the US government to pay benefits to the families of the dead soldiers. The movie is like any other Bay movie when it comes to explosions everywhere. It also has some shocking violence like a man getting his head crushed in the air conditioner. This, undoubtedly, is Michael Bay’s best work and every action fan must watch it.
Bad Boys is a must-watch for action fans
This was Michael Bay’s directorial debut was with this buddy cop action. It is another over-the-top action comedy film with cartoonish characters. The chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is great and the two are so much fun to watch. It felt the director knew exactly when to stay out of their way. The outcome was a great action movie with two really funny and charismatic protagonists. Though Michael Bay has tried to recreate the magic again it is not possible to live up to the duo. The legendary pair created a great action movie with the work of the director in the background. This is one of the movies you should watch if you haven’t already. You would have a good laugh and see some wild action as well.
Pain & Gain is a true-crime comedy
The movie, Pain & Gain, is based on Pete Collin’s articles in Miami New Times. It is the strangest movie made by the director about a group of muscular guys who devise a crazy plan to kidnap a rich man from the gym. This only leads to a total mess of extortion, fraud, torture, more kidnapping, attempted murder, and eventually murder. In the lead, we see Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, and Anthony Mackie playing dimwits. They deal with their messed-up plan with full dumb guy confidence. And you will find yourself laughing in the darkest of scenes. The movie was a dark comedy and Michael Bay went with it completely. Though many hated presenting the Sun Gym Gang incident in a comic light. Also, at points, we see the director’s mean-spirited humor. It is a fun flick if you don’t take it seriously.
The Island is not as bad as you think
Most of us tend to forget about this movie by Michael Bay. It was a commercial dud and hated by the critics as well. The film came out in 2005 and was based on the story of a dystopian land where the people live in simplicity. Until one day they are taken to the Island, only to find out they are clones of rich people, developed for organ harvesting. This leads to chaos. The science-fiction element is good and so is the crazy action. The performance of Ewan McGreggor and Scarlett Johannsen as runaway clones is quite well too. Where things go wrong is the director failed to efficiently combine science-fiction and action as one. But still, it was not as bad as the treatment it got and you can definitely check it out.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi should be watched
Though historical inaccuracy is just the Michael Bay way of creating movies based on historical events, they aren’t bad popcorn flicks. Just do not take them seriously. Just like Pearl Harbor, the director made another film with inaccuracies called 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. It is based on the Benghazi attack on Libya, an American diplomatic facility. It is made from the perspective of American private military contractors. They are sent to protect the diplomats. The best part of the film is its thrill, which tightens as the plot heads towards the climax. Only to end with an action sequence with Michael Bay’s signature explosions.
Related: Michael Bay’s Transformers: Filmmakers Who Would Have Done A Better Job
