Director Michael Bays hilarious dark comedy PAIN & GAIN gets pumped on Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand this December from Paramount Home Media Distribution. We have three copies of the Blu-ray to give away to our readers. And only for the real Doers, the film will be available on Digital a week early on 17th December. Based on an unbelievable true story, PAIN & GAIN stars Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie as a group of personal trailers in 1990s Miami who, in pursuit of the American Dream, get caught up in a criminal enterprise that goes horribly wrong. Adapted for the screen by writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely from articles written by journalist Pete Collins, PAIN & GAIN also stars Tony Shalhoub (Monk), Ed Harris (A History of Violence), Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine), Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids), Ken Jeong (The Hangover) and Bar Paly (The Ruins). Miami. Muscles. Money. Murder. Watch PAIN & GAIN on Digital, Blu-ray or DVD this December. Watch and read an interview with PAIN & GAIN director Michael Bay...Q: Hey Michael. We are used to seeing you make huge, big budget action films. Pain & Gain has plenty of action, but it is different to what we have seen from you in recent years. A: This was the lowest I've been paid since my first movie, Bad Boys (laughs). Q: Do you think you will continue to make smaller budgeted films? A: They're fun. It's fun because I wasn't worried about it (at the box office) because it cost so little money. It is a strange movie, but people have a smile on their face after they've seen it. That's the most fun about it. A film like this is rare. Q: Why did you want to put this story on screen? A: I read the articles in the newspaper first and it was this bizarre character crime piece. It was situationally funny. Overall, I liked the idea of people not appreciating what they have and always wanting more. Q: Its a tragic story, but at the same time there is a lot of humor. Was combining those two elements your biggest challenge stepping into this project? A: Sure, it was a challenge. But again, the newspaper articles were constructed in such a way that humor played a big part in this and at the end of the day, the guys that committed these crimes got what they deserved. So, its not like we are making fun of the victims. When I read this story, by the way, I couldnt believe it was true. Q: It is incredible. Did you ever feel the need to speak to the real guys? A: I spoke to people that knew the guys and I heard a lot from stories that detectives shared that were involved. Q: Was it hard to get Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson to sign on? A: The cast came together really quickly. Literally I told Paramount I was going to do this before the next Transformers and this cast came together in weeks. I talked to Dwayne about this nine years ago so he knew about it very early on. Mark knew about it too. Q: Is there a message in this movie? A: Yes, I think there is. Its all about appreciating what you have, chasing the American dream the wrong way. Dont commit the crime if you cant do the time. Q: Miami is a character in this movie. What is it about this city you like so much? A: Bad Boys was my first movie down here. It has an interesting texture, great light. Its just a beautiful city. Its also a home of mine. Q: Mark Wahlberg said that you can do whatever you want down here in Miami. What did he mean by that? A: Hes exaggerating (laughs). But it is true, I do have a very good relationship with the city. Everybody helped out. All the police in this movie are real and they actually shut down a highway for us for five miles so Wahlberg could drive the Lamborghini at 160 mp/h. Q: So it helps to be a resident of Miami. A: Yeah (laughs). They're very nice to you when you're a resident for some reason. With the police being actual officers, I'd laugh because with all of the SWAT guys, we would have to be the safest people in America. They really bent over backwards to help me. They also understand that I've helped show Miami to the world, you know? It's an interesting city. It's culturally diverse. It's got a lot of texture, the colors are amazing here. The water, the light, everything. Q: Is it true that your neighbor was one of the attorneys in this case? A: Believe it or not, right across the street, was a prosecutor in this case. This was one of the longest, craziest cases in Dade County's history. Q: Why did you particularly want Dwayne for the Paul Doyle role? We haven't seen him so vulnerable before. A: Dwayne originally wanted the Daniel Lugo part. Mark came on first and then Dwayne had a little window and we were supposed to move the movie for Dwayne to fit him then the week before we were going to start he had misgivings about it. First of all, because he had to be really vulnerable as an actor. He is going way out there on a limb and a lot of actors, believe it or not, they freak out right before they shoot. I wrote him this long letter saying 'Years ago, Will Smith didn't want to run down the street with his shirt half undone, he said 'cops never do that.' Will now points to that moment and says that's where he became a movie star'. I wrote down 10 different instances that has happened with actors, different things. I just said, 'You have to trust me'. He played it brilliantly. He's a standout in this film. Q: You are known for your fast paced movie techniques. Can you talk a little bit about your technical approach to this film? A: Sure. We were mixing digital with film and we used little GoPros, D5s. What I really liked this time that we had actors acting, no robots. It was very liberating for me and I tried to push the color quite a bit. Q: What other directors inspire you? A: I dont like to copy other movies. I think people can recognize my movies fairly easily. I like to create my own style. Q: There is a scene in this movie where Mark Wahlberg is wearing Calvin Klein underwear again. He last did that for a very famous ad campaign. Was that your idea? A: Yes, it was my idea. I made him wear the Calvin Klein underwear. He didnt want to do it at first, but then he did it anyway. I thought it was very funny. Q: You are introducing Bar Paly to the cinema audience. How did you prepare her for this role because she plays a stripper? A: First of I made her gain 10 pounds. I wanted her to have a bootie. She was charming in the audition. She just fit the character beautifully. She had to dance. The challenge was, I dont know where you find an official stripper trainer. We found one and had to pay her cash under the table. But it was all worth it. When Bar walked on that stage, she commanded that stage.