Review: Crank: High Voltage

Crank: High Voltage (2009)
starring: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Bai Ling, Clifton Collins Jr., Corey Haim, Dwight Yoakam, Efren Ramirez
dir. Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor


The Crank series are nothing but obscene Looney Tunes movies. If they ever change that formula, I'll start hating them. Sure, they are silly, racist, sexist, dumb, borderline mentally challenged, but that's what makes them so fun. Everyone involved knows exactly what type of hyper-kinetic-goof-ball movie they are making and they do it very well. They are also some of the more expiremental films being made for commercial distribution.

Just look at all of the different styles they use for conveying action, or the way text is used in both subtitles and it's own form of montage. It's almost like a Godard film but steeped in dumb dick and fart jokes instead of intellectual dick and fart jokes. They even have a fight scene that jumps into a Godzilla style man-in-suit battle. No explanation why, they just do it because they can. They've set up a structure that allows for anything. I laugh at the crude sophomoric humor because it works and everyone can enjoy crude and sophomoric if they know that's what they are getting themselves into. You'd never see another action hero do the things that Chev Chelios does. As a matter of fact, you'd never see any character do what Chev Chelios does.

The acting is always over the top, the situations are always over the top and the filmmaking is always over the top. Plus these movies are around 85 minutes, perfect timing for junk food.

If you want something with meaning or a soul, or something that has weight, this ain't it. There are no pretensions here, Crank: High Voltage is a popcorn movie for people who need a junk food fix.

Oh and Amy Smart is sexy fun.

8.0 out of 10