1. Pain and Gain
Perhaps it's just refreshing to see Bay finally taking a break from robots and returning to the human element for his action films, but Pain and Gain really feels like a breath of fresh air. Produced for a paltry $26m (which would cover about 20 minutes of a Transformers film), this is Bay at his most "low-budget" ever, focusing more on characters and the story, and it really shows. Much attention has been paid to how dark the narrative is - being based on a real-life incident in which people actually died - and without spoiling anything, it certainly seems like such a tone suits the director better known for his glossy, light action flicks. While the film has its share of uproarious laughs - largely a result of an excellent performance from The Rock in an unconventional role - it also devotes a fair amount of time to developing the characters within this insane narrative. The characters are the most unlikable that Bay has ever shown us on-screen, making this a decidedly more challenging film than many will have expected. It's not going to appeal to everyone, especially Transformers fans, but in reining the budget in, Bay has made what is for sure his best and most intriguing film to date. How would you rank Michael Bay's films? Let us know in the comments below.