Being among Hollywood’s most successful Directors hardly means that one would be safe from bad reviews and harsh critiques. If anything for Michael Bay, it only means the reviews get worse after worse movie after movie. However, he seems to have accepted his fate diligently and continues to remain unfazed even as his highest-grossing movies receive an uncalled-for load of snark and mockery from film critics.
Pain & Gain starring Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie, and Dwayne The Rock Johnson is a move away from Bay’s usual explosive, action-packed projects. However, this hardly comes as a surprise seeing that the Blockbuster Charter was made with just a budget of $26 Million.
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An unusual Michael Bay film
Inspired by real events from the 1990s in Miami, Pain & Gain embarks on a journey of three struggling and sick-and-tired-of-life bodybuilders who aim to murder and exploit. A truly unlikely Michael Bay movie, it hardly contains any graphics or explosions- an uncharacteristic feature of most of his movies. Despite being graphic-less, the movie does contain some chilling action scenes that are well-liked by most cinema-goers.
“It was just me with the camera, actors acting, and really no visual effects. It was good to be constrained in that box. I don’t think the movie needed anything more.”
The dark comedy, described by self-proclaimed as well as acclaimed film critics as shallow, dumb, a botch job, lacking any creativity, and almost every mediocre synonym ins the book, went on to gross almost $86 Million worldwide, a slap to every Michael Bay critic. Almost as if Bay knew the film (as well as his other films) would do a good job at the Box Office, he claims he is never bothered by his critics.
“They love to hate me; that’s okay.”
The audience reaction and reviews testify that Bay is right not to care about any critique be it about Pain & Gain or any other movie of his.
Also Read: Michael Bay Reveals Why He Would Still Work With Will Smith In The Future
Michael Bay on Pain & Gain
Reflecting on his uncharacteristic movie, Michael Bay shares how the movie was a dear project of his. He remarks the movie is dark and quick, as well as full of comedy and real action. For Bay, the movie was a sort of artistic pursuit full of passionate ambition. Speaking about the movie, he says,
“I want people to be conflicted. I want to show a lot of grey areas. If you ever meet criminals, they sometimes don’t think they’re doing something morally bad. It’s bizarre how you could have just kidnapped someone, collected all this money, and have a loving wedding the next week. This movie’s different because you’re really going into the criminals’ minds. The story was bizarrely funny, but I also saw something that was about people who were never happy with what they have.”
Seeing the box office performance of the movie as well as the audience reception, Bay is right to remain unconcerned about the numerous film critics, who so-love to express their dislike for his movies.
You can stream Pain & Gain on Netflix.
Source: Straight
