Michael Bay. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny the director’s ability to make energetic, entertaining, and profitable action films for general audiences. His testosterone-fueled directorial style has influenced the visual vocabulary of the contemporary Hollywood blockbuster more than any other filmmaker.

Bay’s films have grossed $4.5 billion worldwide and are often characterized by explosions, lens flares, 360 Steadicam shots, and never-ending sunsets. While he’s often considered nothing more than an egotistical hack, Bay’s distinct high-octane style is instantly recognizable and – for better or worse – he’s been incredibly consistent throughout his career.

One aspect of Bay’s films that often gets lost in all the explosions and mayhem is the impressive lineup of actresses he’s included in his predominantly male movies. With his latest film, Pain & Gain, about to hit theaters this weekend, I thought it might be a good time to look back at Michael Bay’s filmography, specifically the leading actresses who have since went on to insanely successful careers.

So, check out below The Leading Ladies of Michael Bay’s High-Octane Cinema.

Believe it or not, Michael Bay has a passion project that doesn’t involve massive explosions, sci-fi elements, or big robots. Pain & Gain is based on actual events and will follow two muscle-brained body builders (played by Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson) who have come to the realization that a life of crime, kidnapping, and drug dealing isn’t as easy as it sounds. The film also stars Anthony Mackie, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong, Tony Shalhoub, and Bar Paly. Now Paramount has scheduled April 26, 2013, to be the release date for the film.

You can also check out the full poster here below.

We previously saw a teaser photo of Johnson cooking what looks like to be a severed limb. But promotion for the film went cold. Now that we’ve got a release date and a teaser poster, we could be seeing more promotions maybe even a teaser trailer.