Review of Crank: High Voltage (2009) by Wesley M — 26 Jun 2010

Its really hard to rate a film like this honestly, given that it defies the normal conventions of filmmaking in favor of an experimental, dare I say visionary style.

For instance, this movie doesn't have a plot. Well, it has conflict and rising action, but lacks what most people would consider 'falling action' and 'resolution.' The action just rises, and rises, and continues to rise like some over-leavened loaf of murderbread. As the action rises so too does the suspension of disbelief, which was already astronomically high coming into this movie. Don't look for character development either, although it is present its in surprising and easy to miss places. What little development there is only serves to accelerate the action and give impetus to the mayhem.

Jason Statham's gravelly delivery and already thick accent make it hard to discern any of the simplistic and mostly banal dialogue. Half the time he's threatening or taunting someone, the other half he's grunting about his heart and the need to 'recharge' it.

On that topic, the main gimmick here, like in the first Crank, is the need for Chev to constantly keep his heart running or die before his mission of bloody vengeance is completed. He does this in all manner of creative and not-so-creative ways, and it somehow manages to rise above the level of mere trick and becomes a useful plot device. Its up to the audience to decide whether this counts for or against the movie.

The movie has some high points, though. There are come truly clever jokes and sight gags included, and sometimes the directors take time out to explore the limits of film as a medium, using metaphorical, symbolic imagery rather than portraying things in a literal manner. These moments seems strange when the occur, but ultimately make the experience better, and it breaks conventions in ways that a 'better' or more expensive film might not have dared to.

Ultimately your liking for this film comes down to your thirst for action and your tolerance for implausible occurrences and raw shock value. If you really want an adrenalin filled ride then you've found it. Its action porn in the most literal sense of the word, but it doesn't take itself any more seriously than necessary and pulls off a better film because of it.