Crank: High Voltage

Starring: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam, David Carradine, Bai Ling, Clifton Collins, Jr., Geri Halliwell
Directed by: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) is back, but this time, Chinese black market doctors have stolen his heart and replaced it with an artifical heart (to farm more of his organs). Chelios breaks free, and begins a rampage to retrieve his heart. The only problem is that to keep his artifical heart ticking, he needs to continually electrify his skin.

Review:

Tim: I am not used to sequels so departing from from their originals. Now, this movie is mostly in alignment with the first one, in that we have the same cast, in a rough variation of the first film's events. However, this movie goes completely over-the-top, almost embracing a comedic element that was mostly absent in the original. Crank appeared to be pushing the boundaries when it first came out, but this film makes that one look like a Frank Capra picture. This movie is lurid, vulgar, gruesome, and more. I'd often like a movie that isn't afraid to push our buttons, but it doesn't work here. This is one of the worst movies I've seen in years.

The original Crank was not a great movie, but it had some pretty entertaining parts. This one doesn't even come close, with its quick cuts, video game quality, and some of the stupidest, most absurd scenes ever committed to film. I understand that this movie was just trying to have fun, to be different and to shock and surprise. It doesn't work here. The absurd action scenes, gratuitous nudity, and overall bad behavior detracts more than it adds. Sure, they are some funny and entertaining moments, but the movie presents itself as a giant joke, so there is no way to take this seriously or become involved or invested in the story. The best (and only) way to watch this movie is to turn your brain off as completely as possible.

Jason Statham, surprisingly, does good work here. He is really enjoyable as Chev Chelios, and I liked his performance while the movie all around him was completely falling apart. He is believable as this deadly weapon who can't seem to die, no matter how hard those around him try. Amy Smart likewise returns to her role, although her task here was mainly to walk around mostly naked, and inexplicably, beat some guy up near the end. She didn't add much. David Carradine's small role might have been appreciated, but it took on a painful, ironic quality considered how he ended his life. Bai Ling gives one of the most annoying, awful performances I've ever seen. I hated every second of her screen time. I did like Clifton Collins, Jr. but I wish he was in the film longer.

A movie with this tagline- "He was dead... but he got better" pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the movie. And yet, this film goes way, way beyond all boundaries you could expect, to the point where the whole film feels pointless. Yes, you might be entertained (how could you not, by the absurdity of it all?) but it is a shallow entertainment, the kind that makes you feel bad afterwards. Crank: High Voltage could have been an improvement on the original, if it had stuck closer to the bounds of reality and not come across as a bad nightmare. Instead, this movie isn't even close to the original, and the original didn't exactly set the bar very high. And what was with that Godzilla scene? That was the stupidest scene I have seen in a long, long time.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 2.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Crank, The Transporter, Transporter 2, Transporter 3