Pain & Gain might not be Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg’s biggest hit but it has a special place in pop culture for reasons right and wrong

Pain & Gain is a 2013 action-comedy film that has formed a place for itself in modern pop culture thanks to its depiction of bodybuilders.

Directed by Michael Bay, the film stars Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, and Anthony Mackie in the lead roles.

It follows the story of a group of ex-convicts and bodybuilders who engaged in crimes such as kidnapping, extortion, torture, and murder in Miami during the 1990s.

The film debuted to mixed reviews but grossed $86.2 million at the global box office becoming a commercial success.

However, the film sparked controversy because of its subject material which is based on true events.

The film was heavily criticized by some sections of the media for its sympathetic portrayal of criminals.

Here is everything you need to know about the true story behind Pain & Gain and why its depiction of convicted murderers proved to be problematic.

Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg’s Pain & Gain Is Based on Real Events

Pain & Gain is based on the real-life story of the Sun Gym gang, a notorious group of bodybuilders who visited the Sun Gym in North Miami, Florida, during the mid-1990s.

The screenplay was adapted from a series of articles written by Pete Collins and published in the Miami New Times in 1999.

Mark Wahlberg‘s Daniel Lugo is based on the person of the same name and so is Anthony Mackie’s Adrian ‘Noel’ Doorbal.

Dwayne Johnson‘s Paul Doyle is a composite character based on Carl Weekes, Stevenson Pierre, and Jorge Delgado.

The film’s story loosely tells the gang’s story as they were involved in abducting, extorting, and murdering Frank Griga and Krisztina Furton.

The Sun Gym gang had also abducted and extorted Marc Schiller in 1994, whose complaint led to their eventual arrests.

Daniel Lugo, Noel “Adrian” Doorbal, John Mese, Jorge Delgado, and John Raimondo were all tried and found guilty of multiple counts of charges levied against them.

Doorbal and Lugo were sentenced to death while Raimondo served eight years in prison.

Delgado was sentenced to a combined 20 years in prison but was released after serving seven years. Mese was sentenced to 30 years in prison but died of a stroke in 2004.

Pain & Gain Sparked Controversy For Glorifying the Sun Gym Gang