Did you see the first CRANK movie? Did you like it? Well, CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE picks up right where that one left off and is more of the same, only goofier and more over-the-top. Jason Statham, who’s always watchable, plays the same character, who didn’t die at the end of the first movie after all. His heart is removed by Chinese gangsters and replaced by an artificial one that needs a jolt of electricity every so often to keep functioning, so he has to keep shocking himself to stay alive while he tries to hunt down the guys who stole his heart. The plot is even sillier than that brief description makes it sound, and the highly stylized direction by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who also wrote the film, squeezes every possible bizarre image out of it.Which is not to say that I didn’t enjoy CRANK 2. It’s probably not going to be for everybody, but I found it entertaining. Just be aware that it makes a movie like, say, SHOOT ‘EM UP, seem genteel and restrained.
15 comments:
Man, this movie was so balls-out intent on packing every second of screen time with ludicrously over-the-top images of action, sex, violence, weird behaviour, and general mayhem that I couldn't help but enjoy it.
It's shameless and brazen and bound to offend any number of people.
I liked it.
John Hocking
What's Statham doing in the poster? Brushing his teeth?
He has jumper cables hooked to his tongue so he can charge up his artificial heart with a car battery.
It does sort of redefine "suspension of disbelief."
Mark,
That's a perfect description of this movie.
If you want to see Jason Stratham really turn in a first class acting job, in a movie that's not as bizarre as the material he's been known for so far, then check out BANK JOB. Not only is it the best heist movie I've seen in a long time, which avoids the get-the-money, lose-the-money, get-the-money-back formula of so many heist stories, but all the actors do a terrific job and the story just as good.
James,
You somewhat know my movies tastes, but this movies seems so crazy I'm thinking I might actually like it. Hey, even a black-and-white loving guy like me likes to see explosions and wanton destruction sometimes. As far as the graphic violence, is it of the cartoony nature, like Sin City, or more realistic? One thing I don't really go for is graphic gore. But, as I said, in Sin City, and also in Kill Bill, the violence has no sense of naturalism about it, hence it doesn't bother me. Whoever can chime in about this, feel free. If anyone has the time or inclination, they can click on my profile and get an idea of the kinds of movies I like. The way John Hocking makes this sound could be also be applied to Russ Meyer's Beyond The Valley of the Dolls, which is a favorite (along with Meyer's Faster Pussycat...Kill! Kill!). So if you check out my profile, don't let the number of 1920s, '30's, and
'40s black-and-white movies fool you.
My recommendation is for the Bank Job as well. Strathan irrefutably proved to me that he can act in that one. I thought he was good in The Italian Job, too. The ones he's most famous for are fun if you're into those types of movies, but seeing him in these others impressed me. I also saw him in one with Jet Li that I thought was quite good as well. War? I'm not sure.
The violence in the CRANK movies is definitely cartoony, but there's a lot of gore, too. It didn't really bother me, though, and I'm not a fan of gore, either.
I've seen THE BANK JOB and thought it was excellent. Statham's best film so far, more than likely. I blogged about it a while back.
(I watched No Country For Old Men tonight, so I've kind of got that country drawl thing going on in my head.)
Well, I do have to admit that the poster where the guy's chompin' down on them jumper cables sure is eye catchin'. Guess if I can stomach that I can stomach more. I mean, the poster's kind of reprentative of the movie and all, and I guess the image could have been plenty more graphic. The cables coulda been hooked up to the guy's nipples, or they coulda been hooked up to his--Well, I think I'd better stop here and just say, yeah, this here movie's one I think I'll check on out.
Thanks for the info, all!
He has jumper cables hooked to his tongue so he can charge up his artificial heart with a car battery?
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Juri,
It's not clear in the poster, but he actually has one of the cables attached to his right nipple and the other cable on his tongue. And that's one of the more normal ways he keeps his heart charged up.
Watched it last night. Loved it!
I just bought the first Crank film on dvd. We'll see how I think of it.
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