Crank

Review by Guy Davis

Action cinema for the ADHD generation, Crank is nasty, brutish and short...and I rather enjoyed it, actually. Taking its title from one of the many street names for methamphetamine, it keeps its foot to the floor for the duration.

It all begins with Los Angeles hitman Chev Chelios (Transporter star Jason Statham) waking up to discover he’s been murdered. Turns out a rival assassin has injected Chev with a nasty Chinese toxin that’ll eventually shut down his heart.

According to the slightly sleazy Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam), the only thing that’ll keep Chev from croaking is a constant surge of adrenaline.

And over the course of the day, Chev tries ‘em all - prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, energy drinks, electric shocks and the sheer rush of getting into fistfights with anyone who gets in his way.

Chev’s even willing to get intimate with his girlfriend (Amy Smart) on the streets of Chinatown, in full view of the neighbourhood, if it’ll keep him hyped-up.

Our hero - who’s really more of an antihero, when you get right down to it - knows he’s only delaying the inevitable. But he’ll do whatever he has to do to avenge his own death.

The writing-directing team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor pull out all the stops in their big-screen debut, making great use of compact digital cameras to come up with some interesting and innovative ways of framing and staging Crank’s high-octane action sequences.

Based on the feeling of sensory overload one gets from watching Crank, Neveldine and Taylor also seem to have a deep bag of tricks when it comes to cinematography, editing and sound design - these guys clearly aren’t without imagination.

It’s also possible they’re without shame or inhibitions, which must be considered a good thing. What they’ve really got going for them is a willingness to go for broke in depicting Chev’s antics. He’s no Mr Nice Guy, this one, and Statham’s swagger and flair for unchecked violence serves him well.

The kind of movie you don’t take home to your mother, Crank is so audacious it‘ll make your jaw drop. So outlandish it’ll make your head spin. And so exciting it’ll make your pulse race. Chev might be trying to keep his own adrenaline levels up, but he certainly brings Crank’s viewers along on his wild ride.

3.5 out of 5

Crank
Australian release: 19th October, 2006
Cast: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Efren Ramirez, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Jay Xcala
Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Website: Click here.