Tony Shalhoub might be best known for playing Adrian Monk in the landmark detective series named after the character, but the actor gives an equally off-the-wall performance in an underrated 2013 crime movie directed by Michael Bay. Shalhoub’s character Victor Kershaw in the satirical black comedy Pain & Gain is the one that really stands out, even though Kershaw couldn’t be more different from Adrian Monk. Whereas Monk’s eponymous protagonist is an extremely neurotic but brilliant detective who solves violent crimes, Victor Kershaw is the victim of a violent crime himself in Pain & Gain, and he’s far from happy about it.
On the other hand, just as he is in Monk, it’s Shalhoub who’s responsible for many of the best comedy moments in Pain & Gain. Still, Victor Kershaw is nothing like Monk, and the fact that Shalhoub excels in these two disparate roles demonstrates his comedic range as an actor. Adrian Monk’s funniest scenes play up the character’s uncanny ability to land himself in incredibly awkward or farcical situations. Yet the humor Shalhoub elicits from his movie character Victor Kershaw’s is all about his proclivity to fly off the handle into a fit of rage.
Tony Shalhoub Starred In Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain As Victor Kershaw
Shalhoub’s Character Is The Victim Of An Extortion Attempt
Although Michael Bay’s 2013 movie Pain & Gain centers on the extortion scheme of Mark Wahlberg’s protagonist Daniel Lugo, it’s Adrian Monk actor Tony Shalhoub who steals the show. Shalhoub elevates any scene he’s in, playing the unfortunate victim of the crime who suffers the full force of Lugo’s violent actions. Shalhoub’s Victor Kershaw is no shrinking violet, however, and displays his irascible temper in the form of withering put-downs even when he’s kidnapped and blindfolded, or consigned to a wheelchair.
Tony Shalhoub’s performance strengthens the Pain & Gain further by throwing moments of levity into the mix, which help furnish the film with its satirical edge.
Kershaw taunts Lugo, his fellow bodybuilders Paul Doyle and Noel Doorbal, played by Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie, respectively, and Sun Gym manager John Mese, as they attempt to carry out their crime without leaving a trace of evidence behind. Pain & Gain is based on the true story of the real Miami-based Sun Gym gang. Thanks to its suspenseful portrayal of the crimes committed by the gang, the movie is surely one of Michael Bay’s best. Tony Shalhoub’s performance strengthens the film further by throwing moments of levity into the mix, which help furnish Pain & Gain with its satirical edge.
Tony Shalhoub’s Pain & Gain Character Was Aggressively Different From Monk
Victor Kershaw Is Short-Tempered And Always Ready With The Kind Of Put-Down Adrian Monk Would Never Use
Nevertheless, it will be a surprise for many Monk fans to see Shalhoub playing this kind of role. Just the thought of behaving like Victor Kershaw would surely terrify Adrian Monk half to death, yet Kershaw still responds aggressively to his kidnappers even when he appears to be half-ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.
Pain & Gain probably doesn’t rank alongside Tony Shalhoub’s very best movies and TV shows, given that the actor has starred in the award-winning sitcom Wings, the Coen Brothers masterpiece Barton Fink, and the acclaimed 1996 comedy-drama The Big Night alongside Stanley Tucci. But this crime comedy is definitely worth a watch, even if just for Shalhoub’s hilariously crazed performance.
