Pain & Gain (2013)

Brody finds the film a raucous, unusually exuberant success, praising Bay’s lively, freewheeling approach to its true-crime story. He notes that some comic exaggerations are crude, but singles out the performances and colorful details as especially effective.

Edelstein liked the film and strongly recommends it to viewers willing to overlook its excesses. He praises Mark Wahlberg’s comic performance, while criticizing the film’s sleazy exploitation and queasy mix of satire, slapstick, and violence.

Bradshaw finds the crime comedy entertaining and zingy, though overlong and occasionally unsure of its own joke. He praises Mark Wahlberg’s comic performance and notes Dwayne Johnson’s unexpectedly funny turn.

Dinning finds the film entertaining and inventive, though its middle section grows flabby and muddled. He praises Bay’s spectacular visual flair and the cast’s joyful performances of the story’s grotesque characters.

The critic finds the film overlong and unevenly Bay-ish, but ultimately fascinating. They praise its smart, disturbing satire and the performers’ ability to make the chaotic gang strangely sympathetic.

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Schager finds the film riotous and repugnant, while questioning whether Bay is knowingly satirizing his own excesses. He praises the performances and the film’s energetic mockery of its deluded protagonists, but faults its troubling stereotypes and ambiguity.

Pinkerton finds the film deeply conflicted and fitfully brilliant, though often frustrating. He praises Bay’s cinematic flair, while faulting the way its farcical treatment undercuts the grim true-crime material.

The review gives the film three out of five stars, suggesting a mixed verdict. The available page text does not reveal what the critic singled out for praise or complaint.

Mottram finds the film exhausting and over-the-top, but acknowledges its undeniable allure. He particularly praises a brilliantly staged sequence that moves between adjacent rooms, and singles out Dwayne Johnson’s performance.

Sharkey finds the film a mix of stupid fun and excess, with uneven results. She praises Dwayne Johnson’s comic performance but says the brutality can be tough to stomach.

Foundas finds the film vulgar, often funny, and visually distinctive, but ultimately uneven and numbing. He praises Wahlberg’s performance while faulting the underdeveloped subtext and violence that drains the film’s energy.

Nayman finds the satire shallow, obnoxious and poorly balanced by its moralising ending. He singles out Dwayne Johnson’s comic performance and a striking shot of Daniel brooding underwater as bright spots.

The critic finds the caper hyperactive and tonally uneven. Bay’s mix of Three Stooges-style slapstick with much less pleasant material is singled out as a drawback.

Rabin finds the film a loud, vulgar celebration of aggression that loses its satirical and social ambitions in mindless spectacle. He praises Dwayne Johnson’s performance for its sincere, poignant humanity, which contrasts with the film’s grating visual style.

The critic finds the film ham-fisted and overlong, with little effective satire or cultural insight. He singles out the neighborhood-watch scene as one of its few genuinely amusing moments.

Pape finds the film highly entertaining and praises its energetic direction, though he notes that making light of real victims leaves an uncomfortable aftertaste. He singles out Dwayne Johnson’s performance and Bay’s inventive camerawork for particular praise.

The review finds the film a scabrous, entertaining satire, though it wonders whether Bay’s apparent self-awareness is genuine. It praises the cast and the film’s absurd, jet-black script.

The critic finds the film entertaining and funny, despite its overlong running time. The cast’s comic performances, especially Dwayne Johnson’s, are singled out for praise.

The critic finds the film uneven but ultimately entertaining, with its wild second half making up for a shaky start. He singles out Dwayne Johnson’s complex, captivating performance for praise.

The critic judges the film as visually appealing but dramatically misjudged and morally uneasy. He singles out Bay’s glossy, sunlit style as a superficial gloss on a grim true story.

The critic pans the film as overlong, execrable, and crassly written. They single out Ed Harris as its sole bright spot, while condemning its misogyny and crude stereotyping.