Crank (2006) Reviews

• Crank is Grand Theft Auto on the big-screen.

  Cmbaker2006-09-01

  Fast. Hyper. Action-packed. Drug-induced. Insane. Crank is all these things, and extremely entertaining too. No doubt a movie made just for the guys, it's filled with guns, car chases, sex, random humor, nudity, Amy Smart, Pedro from Napolean Dynamite, sex, nudity, etc. The only thing missing were some hand-to-hand fight scenes that would have made this movie complete. Instead, we do get a nice confrontation where one person is armed with a butcher's knife... but I shan't spoil that one. But yes, this is a live-action video game on the big-screen. Google Maps zooms into the next location Chev visits and on screen text gives you its name ala a video game's "next level" sequence. Chev's girlfriend thinks he is a video game programmer. The opening titles for "CRANK" are shown in the blocky, pixellated style of a 1980's Atari game. Chev is just trying to get to the boss at the end of the game. And a tip for those of you yet to see it- STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS. It reinforces everything I just said.

• Wild conceptual redux for a forgotten 1996 actioner.

  filmnut12006-08-12

  Back in the 1990s British action star Gary Daniels was at the height of his fame. Headlining a string of bland, stunt filled features for PM Entertainment (the B Simpson/Bruckheimer). In 1996 he starred in RAGE, a non-stop action movie with a very "high concept" premise. Injected with a deadly drug an ordinary man becomes a one man army. Hunting down the bad guys, on the run from the cops and trying to get his normal life back - the film was stunt filled madness. 10 years later we have CRANK which is essentially a rehash. Albeit a big budget, MTV-style version. Our hero is still a Brit, the location is once again Los Angeles, but there are gangster movie connotations, wild visuals and a tongue-in-cheek tone (you cannot take the name Chev Chelios seriously and I don't think you're supposed to) which makes this a lively, engaging ride which knocks Daniels' effort for six. The similarities between the two cannot be ignored but this is clearly the superior of the two. RAGE was the prototype, but CRANK takes it to the limit with set-pieces and jokes as silly as they are inventive. In addition there are connotations to films such as Tony Scott's MAN ON FIRE and DOMINO and Brit gangster movies such as Mike Hodges' GET CARTER and Guy Ritchie's LOCK, STOCK and TWO SMOKING BARRELS which add to the thrills and keep us entertained. Much more restrained than CGI-filled, action pantomime that was TRANSPORTER 2, CRANK is Statham's best star vehicle yet. He's a pure physical presence with a maniacal glint in his eyes. There are no Corey Yeun-style martial arts scenes but it doesn't matter. The film is OTT but somehow grounded. The action is rough, fierce. Statham's character is a relentless one man army in classic tradition. Young guys and longtime action movie fans are going to love this for its sheer vigour. With creativity in the genre previously limited to new twists on chases and fight scenes, it's a real pleasure to see films such as CRANK, ONG-BAK and BANLIEUE 13 (District 13) emerging. Not to be taken too seriously, Crank is one of the best popcorn movies of 2006.

• They probably should have given him more of that Chinese s**t!

  ps422006-08-31

  If ever a movie was made to get one's heart pumping, Crank is it. It takes a marginally believable and undeniably awesome premise, adds one of the brightest up-and-coming action stars around, stirs in some new ingredients that the genre hasn't really seen before, and bakes until the final product rises beyond all expectations. The catch phrase "a thrill a minute" doesn't really go the distance to describe how ridiculously action packed this film is. A thrill every ten to fifteen seconds is more like it. First time directors Mark Nedveldine and Brian Taylor relentlessly bash you over the head with the action hammer. Their cinematography is manic and the style is reminiscent of that used by Tony Scott in Domino. It fits the pace of the film quite well. Jason Statham delivers to audiences the only thing he knows how to deliver, and that is pure, distilled ass kicking. That is his job, and he is very, very good at it. Make no mistake, the film is very strongly 'R' rated. There is a bounty of flesh, and a strong smattering of violence, and drug use. Don't be thrown off by Amy Smart's name on the poster. Even though she does a fine job as Statham's on screen girlfriend Eve, hers (and every other) part takes a deliberate and distant backseat to Statham's charismatic portrayal of hit-man Chev Chelios. He also manages to wind more than a few threads of pretty solid humor into the performance. All in all, its Statham's most impressive job in a leading role yet. In a nutshell the plot revolves around Chev Chelios, poisoned by his employer after a hit went sour with a synthetic Chinese compound that blocks his adrenaline receptors. The only way for him to stay alive is to get pumped up and stay pumped up. Anything he can get his hands on to raise his adrenaline is fair game, from drugs to energy drinks to raunchy public sex and more as he tears a path of carnage and mayhem through the streets of L.A. in search of the man who tried to kill him. Crank is everything you could feasibly ask it to be and more. The filmmakers take an iffy premise, work their magic (read 'good casting and direction') on it, and produce reel after reel of pure adrenaline on film. It packs over the top action in with incredible stunts, clever and biting humor, a decent story and some above average acting. It's one of the most entertaining films of the year and may well be a career highlight for Statham. It's one of those films that you'll definitely want to go see with a bunch of the guys. What it lacks in depth, it makes up for in pure fun and distilled manliness. A high 8 out of 10.

• "Crank" a fast paced, clever, and cool-as-Hell adrenaline rush of a film!!

  MaximumMadness2006-09-02

  I walked into "Crank" with low expectations, as I do with many films. The previews made it look like it had a clever story, but I was worried that with Jason Statham playing lead, I might just get a re-hash of his "Transporter" films. I got a pleasant surprise. From the very beginning, the film moves. And moves damn fast. Not in an obnoxious way either. In the first minutes of the film we are set up with a possible story of corruption between hit men, a botched job, and the set-up for the whole movie-- Statham's Chev Chelios being fatally poisoned with a Chinese-made serum that slows his heart rate, and will eventually literally make his heart stop, killing him. The only solution-- get the adrenaline pumping and keep his heart rate up! The whole movie is like one long action sequence, with pauses for story elements. This is the common thing now in films, but in other movies, it generally doesn't work so well. But, with the premise of "Crank" being the need for speed (Literally), the idea of all-action, little-plot actually works. And works well. However, don't be mistaken, there is genuine plot in the film. Clever stories about the pasts and workings of crime-lords and their cronies, and how they all relate to Chelios. Some of it went over my head because of the constant action, but I was able to understand everything enough to enjoy the film. The direction and editing is something I want to talk about briefly before I wrap this up. For a film like this, one would expect flashy camera work and crazy fast cutting, but I must say, the director/writer and the editor went beyond the call of duty. The film is shot as though the cameraman himself was the one who was poisoned, with the camera flashing and moving around nearly constantly, only settling during the slow scenes. Quite a genius use of camera-work to emulate the story. And the editing certainly adds a lot to the already excellent camera work. We get cutting when necessary and when not necessary, to further illustrate the needs of the main character. Overall, I would say "Crank" was the coolest movie I've seen in the last several years, leaps and bounds beyond the standard Hollywood action flick. I would recommend to any action-fan or adrenaline junkie, because take it from me, this film is the ultimate rush!

• Aciddytrip-o-vision

  Huffman922006-12-28

  This is my first review and I've been reluctant to write one because I don't really think anyone will read it... but here it goes. Crank is fun, really fun. In the way of Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (kind of) it's got its violence and action tossed into a mountain of humor. The writers (and directors) took these three things, tossed them into a movie blender, put the blender on puree, and came out with this movie. The directors (and writers) did some visually awesome things with this film. People on the other side of phone calls appear on walls, rear-view mirrors, and other things. Random words from a person's dialogue appear on screen along with their part of speech in parenthesis afterwards (ep-i-neph-rine (n), man). This visual style I have declared... accidytrip-o-vision. Other movies with accidytrip-o-vision: Easy Rider and A Scanner Darkly. In conclusion, Crank is an action-filled, blood encrusted, comedy haywire, accidytrip-o-vision, adrenaline-pumping achievement. Kudos to Statham and the rest of the team for the new bible of popcorn flicks.