‘Pain & Gain’ takes some creative liberties with the actual events the Sun Gym gang went through while basing the story on a series of articles written about them by Miami New Times’ Pete Collins. So, what we see in the comedy film depicting the 1990s gang’s crimes differs greatly from the actual thing in some points.
6. The Lie About The Human-Flavored Dog Treats
In a scene from ‘Pain & Gain,’ a character named Doyle robs a truck and loses his toe, which a dog later feeds on. This part of the movie is completely made up. In real life, nothing like this happened with the Sun Gym gang – no lost toes, no dog eating a toe, and no armored truck robbery.
5. The Real Victor Kershaw Wasn’t A Sleazy Criminal
The film character Victor Kershaw, played by Tony Shalhoub, is quite different from the real person, Marc Schiller. Schiller says he was more of a quiet family man, not the flashy character in the movie. He had legal troubles, but they were unrelated to his portrayal in the film. The movie seems to mix up some details from another victim of the gang, Frank Griga, who was wealthy but not portrayed accurately either.
4. There Were No Shootouts
‘Pain & Gain’ includes some really wild scenes that never happened. Scenes like a high-speed police chase, a shootout on Lincoln Road, and even a comedic addition of a midget were added for the cinematic effect. In real life, there were no big shootouts with the police or crazy chase scenes.
3. The Truth Behind The Ninja Disguise
In the movie, the gang members dress up in ninja outfits and a green spandex costume. This is an exaggeration of what really happened. The actual Sun Gym gang did talk about disguises, like wearing ninja costumes on Halloween, but they never actually did it. Their real plans were much simpler, with full black outfits, military makeup, and gloves.
2. Miami Police Department’s Incompetence
The film shows private investigator Ed DuBois struggling to get the police to believe him about the Sun Gym gang despite having a ton of evidence., but the real story is a bit different. The police were skeptical but weren’t as dismissive or mocking as the movie shows.
1. No Strip Clubs In The New Times Office
The New Times’ office is shown to include a strip club in the movie, which is not true. According to an article written by Ciara LaVelle, the real office doesn’t have ‘any velvet ropes outside the zebra-painted exterior,’ and the journalists working there are ‘too poor to afford lapdances anyway.’
