Tribute.ca

Crime victims incensed about Pain and Gain

The comedy crime film by Transformers director Michael Bay, Pain & Gain, is based on the 1999 three-part Miami New Times article written by Pete Collins. Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie star as Florida bodybuilders belonging to the Sun Gym Gang – who take part in a kidnapping scheme that goes horribly wrong as their criminal acts lead to murder. The film has not yet been released, but it has caught the attention of the family members of the victims and they’re incensed about the movie’s comedic portrayal of the crimes. Zsuzsanna Griga, whose brother and girlfriend were murdered by the gang, told the Miami Herald the movie was “ridiculous,” adding, “It’s horrible what happened to them… I don’t want the American public to be sympathetic to the killers.” Felix Jimenez, a retired Miami-Dade police sergeant, told the Associated Press, “You’re talking about real people. And in this particular case, especially when you’re talking about the murder victims, these were innocent victims.” Pain & Gain hits theaters on April 26. ~E .Guevarra