Directed by Michael Bay. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, and Anthony Mackie. Rated R.

Mark Wahlberg--now a remarkable actor who seems wholly invested and genuine even when playing against a computer-generated teddy bear--came to public attention as a young rapper with fantastic abs. In Pain & Gain, he returns to his ab-flexing ways, shirtless for a considerable portion of the runtime. His prime beef is not used for eye candy but a symbol of degeneracy and impotence.

Based on a true story, which the script emphasizes several times due to the sheer stupidity of the behaviours on display, Pain & Gain depicts the kidnapping, extortion, and comeuppance of a wealthy Miami businessman (Tony Shalhoub) at the hands of his greedy, grandiose personal trainer and two wannabe bodybuilders.

The wannabe aspect is relevant because pro bodybuilders have great mental powers, which gets them through afternoon sets, not to mention precompetition cutting. Conversely, Daniel (Wahlberg) is a fool, the idiot who thinks he is a genius. His friends and coconspirators Paul (Dwayne Johnson), a born-again ex-con, and Adrian (Anthony Mackie), a gym rat with manhood issues, agree with Daniel’s assessment of himself, which makes them morons.

Relatively successful at heisting, they are wholly incompetent at spending. Their lives fall apart with such speed and thoroughness that the movie is less of a comedy than a tragedy composed of large and small embarrassments. I laughed but felt sordid, not because of the film’s dip into ugly gore but by the inability of the criminals to say anything that is not cliched, misquoted, or ignorant.

Taking a break from giant robots, Michael Bay directs with characteristic energy and editorial frenzy, giving equally stunning views of Miami and the trapezoids of Dwayne Johnson. He also has elicited effective performances from his talented cast, which includes Rebel Wilson and Ed Harris. The result is a movie that is, in most respects, better than his Transformers flicks, except that its main characters have far less humanity and warmth.