Sometimes the action movie genre gets so oversaturated with the same old same old. Once in a while a movie comes around that offers something fresh and new to the game. That movie is Crank:High Voltage. Form the very beginning, C:HV gives the finger to convention, decency, and even reality all at once and takes you for a non-stop thrill ride for the duration of the film.
This isn’t a perfect movie, or anywhere close to being perfect for that matter. What makes it work so well is that the movie requires you to completely suspend all disbelief and just get lost in the flurry of the events on screen. The movie is raunchy, brutal, and intense at the same time. I think its safe to say that C:HV holds nothing back as it proceeds to ridicule and destroy nearly everything it addresses.
The premise is simple, if not completely insane. Hitman Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) has his heart unwillingly removed and replaced with a rechargeable pacemaker. The entire movie follows his quest to find his heart and have it replaced into his chest. Along the way he will have to fight through the Mexican Mafia and the Chinese Triad gangs in addition to the local police force. Those familiar with Statham’s style will be right at home with this film, as he uses everything in the environment as a weapon and spares no one.
This movie holds nothing back. I’ve seen every SAW movie to date without so much as wincing, but there are one or two scenes here that made me cringe a bit. The action, although a bit cartoonish at times, is excellently done and frantically paced. While this movie won’t win any awards any time soon, it is an excellent example of mind numbingly entertaining action. Once in a while its good to just let your grip on reality loose and go wherever the movie takes you. Luckily Crank: High Voltage has enough freshness to make this ride worth your while. If you’re looking to unleash some insanity, definitely check this movie out.
I have to admit I didn’t like this one as much as the first Crank. But I really enjoyed Gamer, which just released this month from the same guys who did the Crank movies. There’s something about the frenetic, insane action and bizarre camera shots that kept me glued to my seat – but without the unique story of the first Crank and Gamer, it wouldn’t have worked nearly as well for me.
Great review. :)
I didn’t care for Crank: High Voltage as much as I did Crank, but I’ll still be adding it to my collection. Like you said, it defies convention but still manages to be entertaining. I’m a Statham fan and I love that he plays it straight even in the midst of the ridiculousness of it all.
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Can’t wait to see this, Crank was awesome in pure entertainment and ridiculousness.
@Fitz, Gamer has a good concept but the sweeping camera angles had me sick. The action was so muddled that it was somewhat pointless. No character development made it worse. I wanted to like it but it wasn’t all that.
This sequel was great for anyone into action and sex. The best of both worlds and lots of it!!!
I liked this one better than the first one. This one was just so over the top that it was hard not to appreciate everything that happened at such a rapid pace.