Reviews of Crank

Hilarious, irresistible, macho fun!

Posted : 1 month, 1 week ago on 29 September 2009 07:15 (A review of Crank)

"I'm going to get that little fucker if it's the last thing I do...It may actually be the last thing I do."

Sometimes movie-goers require a dosage of simple, unadulterated fun in the form of a film that's content with serving up a nourishing dose of action, violence and sex. So thank Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor that the delightful action-comedy Crank exists. Geared towards the dormant 13-year-old in every male, Crank doesn't merely unfold...it explodes onscreen, careening from one chest-thumping scene to the next. It delivers 85 minutes of pure action and hilarity, with minimal encumbrances (like exposition or character development) and with only skeletal fragments of plot. Crank also throttles forward with a glorious tongue-in-cheek approach - the over-the-top action is delivered with a side order of cheese, and plenty of humour accompanies the cocktail of testosterone and adrenaline (emphasis on "adrenaline"). The film is every bit as trashy, vulgar, sexist, brainless, excessive and callow as you'd imagine, but this reviewer enjoyed every delirious minute.

Former professional assassin Chev Chelios (Statham) awakens in his apartment at the beginning of the film after having been poisoned by his rival Verona (Cantillo) with a lethal dose of the "Beijing Cocktail". Chev only has about an hour to live, but learns that he'll be able to slow down the effects of poison and live long enough to exact revenge if he keeps his adrenaline levels high. And thus, Chev begins a citywide crime spree. In order to keep his adrenaline pumping he resorts to barbaric violence, cocaine, shootouts, car chases (usually in stolen cars), epinephrine, caffeinated drinks, nasal spray and a very public display of affection. And during all this chaos, Chev's "doctor" (Yoakam) - you'd use quotation marks too, if you saw how this guy runs his practise - dispenses advice through a phone line, though he insists there's no actual cure for what Chev has been injected with.

Directed and written by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, Crank is an exercise in overblown simplicity. Prior to this movie, Neveldine and Taylor had only worked as cinematographers and camera operators, which probably explains why the visuals overwhelm all narrative requirements. The story is every bit as dumb as it sounds, but who cares? Why watch Crank for incisive dialogue or intelligent plotting? It has a niche audience, and it aims solely to satiate them. Once you suspend your disbelief, respect the film's decision to dispose of all logic by the 10-minute mark, and realise that the creators are only interested in cramming as much action as possible into a tight runtime, you're in for a fun, action-packed ride that's all about the forward momentum.

Neveldine and Taylor employ every stylistic cinematic technique imaginable. In fact, there are times when the movie feels like little more than an opportunity for the two writer-directors to show off. With split screens, distorted images, first-person shots, slow-motion, fast-motion, freeze frames, animated representations of Chev's heart, colour saturation and use of Google maps, the look of the film is frenzied and adrenaline-pumping; replicating the emotions and anxieties of the protagonist. However the style crosses over into tedium from time to time due to sheer repetition. There's so much happening during every single frame and there's so much action that it all feels like a far too generous helping of junk food. After all, at its most basic level, Crank is overstylised junk food. If one removed all the visual tweaks and tongue-in-cheek humour from the equation, one would be left with a story better off in a direct-to-DVD action flick starring Van Damme or Steven Seagal.

British badass Jason Statham (of Transporter fame) carries the whole feature on his well-formed shoulders; pushing the envelope of acceptable antihero boundaries. With his eyes full of fire, Statham turns Chev Chelios into a laser-guided missile of mayhem, unable and unwilling to stop until he finds an antidote and/or slaughters everyone responsible for his corpse-bound state. Thankfully Statham brings a degree of dimension to the role, and his acting is top-notch. Since Crank is mostly a one-man show, the rest of the cast just needs to be present, accounted for, and playing their minor part for the film to succeed. But oddly enough, the supporting players are just as effective. Jose Pablo Cantillo is all teeth and terror as Verona, while Amy Smart is frequently amusing as Chev's girlfriend Eve. There's also Efren Ramirez (probably best known for Napoleon Dynamite) who plays Chev's sidekick Kaylo with subliminal flamboyance.

Some audiences may choose to dismiss Crank as an over-inflated excuse for blood, guts, firepower and fisticuffs...to an extent, that's correct. But it's also hilarious, irresistible, macho fun. It's best described as a live-action video game (some levels even play out like levels of Grand Theft Auto) with an unhinged Jason Statham in the centre of it all. Stuffy, serious critics may dislike Crank due to its contrived story (after all, why couldn't Verona just shoot Chev instead of poisoning him?) and shallow characterisations, but the movie is more geared towards those who'll take it in the intended spirit. Be sure to keep watching 'til the end credits expire for a scene which cements its live-action video game pedigree.

Followed by Crank: High Voltage in 2009.

7.5/10

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Macho Movie

Posted : 1 year, 2 months ago on 10 September 2008 09:34 (A review of Crank)

Filmes de ação, no geral, são sempre só amontoados de corpos perfurados por milhares de tiros e só. Um roteiro pobre, atuações chulas e cenas barulhentas. Mas eis que surge Adrenalina, um filme que prova que este estilo pode sim ser um bom atrativo de cenas rápidas, enlouquecedouras e de boa qualidade.

O filme mescla com respeito ação de competência e comédia segura com direção de Mark Neveldine e Brian Taylo. A trama conta a história de um matador de aluguel que é envenenado e descobre que se a taxa de adrenalina diminuir, seu coração pára. E daí pra frente é tudo muito urgente. Jason Statham corre desesperado o filme todo atrás do tal antídoto para tentar deter o veneno. Tudo é muito urgente: as atuações, as cenas, as camêras.

Como um bom exemplo de filme de macho, o filme mostra cenas eletrizantes com muitos tiros, brigas e para dar uma desestressada, sexo. No quesito ação, a fita dá conta do recado com bastante propriedade. Na parte cômica também. Piadas de puro humor ácido rondam o filme como urubus à carniça. Uma das cenas mais marcantes, citando pelo lado engraçado da obra, é a grande cena de sexo do filme em que o protagonista transa com sua namorada em plena chinatown.

Enfim, este filme é um bom exemplar que consegue provar que além de Michael Mann, Paul Greengrass e Michael Bay existe vida inteligente nos filmes de ação. Nós, homens, agradecemos.

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Crank

Posted : 2 years, 8 months ago on 15 March 2007 03:27 (A review of Crank)

Almost so bad it was good. Mindless rubbish but enjoyable in the extreme. Prepostorous fun.

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follow-up

Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 11 February 2007 09:20 (A review of Crank)

ok, perhaps I was a bit harsh comparing it to 'Jackass number 2', as I did notice the film made fun of itself, making it perhaps more of a comedy then an action film. However, with that said, I guess the main thing that annoyed me and I couldnt get past is the entire plot from the start to the end. Remember all those James Bond flicks, where the bad guy devises a cunning slow painful way to kill Bond, and then walks away, assuming Bond will die? Austin Powers made a good mockery of that concept. I mean, in the end, why not just KILL the guy, or at least stick around and make sure he really suffers, but to put a poison in him that makes his body the equivalent of 'Bus can't go slower than 55mph' from 'Speed', and then leave a DVD for him to know how he will die, and then near the end, when he by miracle catches up to you, instead of FINALLY putting a bullet in his head, you go and stick him with a needle with a bit more dosage of that same poison? I'm sorry, having the entire movie revolve around such an idiotic way to kill someone, thats what really bugged me.

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Crank review

Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 11 February 2007 07:51 (A review of Crank)

"My Name is Jason Statham and by the end of this film....you'll be disappointed."

I remember quoting this in his husky voice before I walked into the cinema. I just expected Transporter film but I was wrong mate!

It just rips into itself so much that its more of a comedy than anything else. The action is just an excuse to fit Statham into the mix but I was highly impressed with the entire set-up.

Statham has a new found respect from me now. Let's hope his career steers away from Revolver-type films from now on!

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Not overhyped!

Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 10 February 2007 09:35 (A review of Crank)

Personally, I don't think that Crank was overhyped. In fact, if I remember, it was released in cinemas with very little fanfare at about the same time as Snakes on a Plane, a film with much more pomp and expectation.

This film is essentially a piece of good, clean fun. It is not the 'Transporter 3' as some people have suggested, but rather a far more entertaining and humourous movie. In my opinion, this outshone the truly overhyped Snakes on a Plane and I thought Jason Statham was marvellous.

The stunts are far less ridiculous and laughable than any of the Transporter films (which take attrocious stunts to the next level) and when I left the cinema, I did so with a smile on my face.

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overhyped

Posted : 2 years, 9 months ago on 8 February 2007 06:30 (A review of Crank)

I've heard 'Children of Men' be described as a 'thinking man's action movie'. Well in that same train of thought, I think 'Crank' itself could best be described as an 'A.D.D.-afflicted man's action movie', or perhaps another way, a 'slow-witted, easily-entertained man's action movie'.

Does it have action? sure it does! is it loud, in-your-face, racist, sexist, piece of hollywood escapism? yup! does it require you to turn off your brain? most definately. but for some of today's kids, who seem to have an attention span of 5 minutes max, and think 'Jackass Number 2' is a cinematic masterpiece, they'll sure find 'Crank' a blast to watch.

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