A professional assassin is poisoned by a synthetic
toxin that will kill him if his adrenaline level drops. ACTION/CRIME
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Crank (2006)Written and Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Efren Ramirez, Dwight Yoakam, Carlos Sanz, Keone Young |
Crank is one of the most hardcore, balls out, insane action movies ever made. It's Jason Statham at his best, delivering a strong and fast-paced performance in a movie that feels like you're watching an 88 minute meth high. With scenes like Statham defibrillating himself or having sex with his girlfriend in the middle of a crowded city square, it's not hard to see how Crank has become almost like Statham's battle cry.
The premise is cool, with Statham's character Chev Chelios having less than an hour to live after being injected with a synthetic Chinese poison. The only way to survive is for Chelios to keep his heart rate up, meaning wanton destruction and brutal murder across Los Angeles. There are virtually no scenes in this film where something isn't exploding, getting shot at, or falling out of the sky. Frankly, it's awesome. This film shows the insane level of high octane fun that Statham enjoys doing, and I for one welcome every minute of it. Crank is a ridiculously crazy action flick with stupid dialogue and a parade of stereotypical gangster characters. None of this is recognizable, of course, because things are constantly exploding in your face. It's a good hour and a half of mindless fun. Who doesn't enjoy that? |
There's two movies that have defined everything that is awesome about Jason Statham and his action star persona. Those movies are The Transporter and Crank. We'll be talking about the latter for this review. Crank is a balls to wall, ridiculous, nonstop thrill ride about one man's journey to get the poison out of his system. The man is played brilliantly by Jason Statham, who gives one of his best performances to date. Crank has easily turned into one of the most entertaining and defining films for Jason Statham's career.
As stated earlier, this film is filled with absolutely over the top scenes. The main plot does involve the character having to continually keep his adrenaline running, or else he will die. This leads to some insane moments like defibrillating himself, having sex in middle of a crowd with his girlfriend, and consuming all sorts of energy drinks and drugs. Basically, the movie starts at full throttle and never lets up. Luckily, Jason Statham is up to the challenge and gives a performance that matches the intensity of the movie. He does this while also maintaining the charisma he's known for. I loved every minute of Crank. It's a ridiculous, over the top, action film that features one of Jason Statham's best performances. While the plot and characters may not be top notch, the film makes up for it by offering an entertaining, good time. I've seen this movie quite a bit and have never gotten tired of it. |