Crank: High Voltage

I knew what to expect when I started Crank: High Voltage, absolutely anything. Crank, and its sequel are totally crazy and unpredictable, so I was expecting to see some insane things happen in Crank: High Voltage, and I was not disappointed. The movie is delightfully inappropriate and foul-mouthed with a completely idiotic, yet strangely believable story.

Chev Chelios is having another bad day. After being poisoned and falling a mile from a helicopter in the first movie, Chev is kidnapped by mysterious men who have a strange desire for Chev’s heart. They take out his heart and replace it with an electronic one which Chev must keep electrified constantly in order to stay alive so that he can hunt down his own heart. The thing I liked the most about the first Crank film was how much fun it all was. The action moved at a breakneck pace, never slowing down for an instant. It was completely brainless entertainment, but it was all good fun. The sequel attempts to retain the pacing and the fun of the first movie, and almost succeeds. The movie slows down too much at some points, but the pacing is pretty good. The fun isn’t all there though. Perhaps what made the first movie so much fun was how surprising it all was. When I watched Crank, I had heard it was quick and inappropriate, but I had no idea quite how much so. I was surprised into having a roaring good time for an hour and a half. The second movie just doesn’t have that element of surprise going for it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a lot of fun to watch, but it just isn’t as much fun as the first movie.

The thing that stood out the most in this movie, and maybe the first one as well, I don’t remember as well, was the music. Mike Patton does an excellent job of choosing and writing music to complement the action. A nice touch toward the beginning of the movie, the hero, played by Jason Statham, begins whistling along with the background music as he beats up one of the thugs who kidnapped him.

Overall, the movie has excellent acting, Jason Statham is always a delight to watch, frenetic action and pacing, and another crazy sex scene, but the fun factor isn’t quite all there. If I had to give a rating to this movie, I would give it a seven out of ten. Very good, but not great.

-J