Jason Statham is the man! He’s like the Steve McQueen of this generation. The directors really give him the chance to shine in this film, and boy, does he ever! Statham plays (retired) hitman Chev Chelios. The film begins when he wakes up after being drugged by an underling of a druglord that Chev works for (can you say doublecross?). The rest of the film follows Chev as he chases down the guys who did this to him and tries to find an antidote (or at least a way to get the poison out of his system) while keeping his girlfriend safe from said thugs. Sounds simple, right? Right.
However, as simplistic as the plot may be, the action is anything but. This film moves so fast, I felt exhausted after watching it. The directors make the film feel frenetic and kinetic without jiggling the camera so much that it induces nausea (Paul Greengrass, I’m looking at you). It was nonstop action from the time that Chev realized what happened to him (about 2 minutes in), right up until the credits rolled. And unlike “Transporter 2”, “Crank” doesn’t have a disappointing finish. It builds up to a very satisfying climax and a somewhat touching resolution. Not only that, but the film was really funny!
Additionally, Neveldine and Taylor used some very interesting and creative camera movements and angles. Their style really enhanced the advancement of the narrative. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they have lined up next.
Now this should go without saying, but there are those that need it spelled out: This film is not for kids. Period. End of argument. There was drug use, violence, sexual situations, and an overdose of obscenities. The filmmakers wanted to make an R rated film and they did. DO NOT take your kids to see this. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Now, aside from the massive amounts of swearing and some of the other “adult material”, I really only had one issue with Crank. And that was the ads. In the past, we’ve seen in-film ads for various food and beverage items as well as cars in recent years, but this time it was a website. I have no doubt that Google must have paid a pretty penny to get their name in the film so frequently. Every time that Chev hopped in a car and drove somewhere, an overhead shot of the city would appear on screen with the word “Google” in the lower right hand corner. Every time. And it happened a lot. Thankfully, it was much more subtle than it could have been, but still, I don’t care to see ads in my movies. I get enough of them before the film (and in every other media outlet that I check out).
Beyond that, I enjoyed the heck out of the film. In fact, I had a blast! I’ll probably even pick it up on DVD when it’s released. It was a great fusion of action, comedy, action, drama, and action. This was the action movie that I’ve waited for all summer long and it didn’t let me down.
