Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Man on Film: Crank: High Voltage

Holy Fuck.

The amazement that strikes you while sitting in the theater watching the greatness that is Crank: High Voltage is a little difficult to explain. There are a myriad of factors that inspire that awe.

First and foremost, is the inconsolable head-shaking that you imagine studio heads possessed with when they realized that this was the film they greenlit. Then, there is the idea running through the set while filming that there is no fucking way anyone is ever going to see what was just committed to celluloid so they go even further than they initially anticipated. Also working its way in there is the shock and awe that results from the rampant cultural and racial insensitivity that permeates the film.

And then there's the style. From start to finish, you are also in the throes of film-making style that can most appropriately be described as 96 minutes of McG action sequences on crystal meth. If you thought that some of Michael Bay's heavily cut action sequences could be hard to follow, then holy shit will the freneticism of the latest Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor film fuck you up.

And all of these things are why Crank 2 is fucking amazing.

Now, I hope you saw Crank because it sets the bar pretty high. In Chev Chelios first time around, there was a new standard set for being over the top. This time, that bar is broken in half and stuck up your ass, and then for good measure the other half of that bar is jammed up your urethra. In a good way.

Too describe how far Crank: High Voltage goes would be a disservice to all. The obscenity, violence, nihilism, and anarchy of this film should be seen without being spoiled in any way. Jason Statham eats up this kind of role, and it makes you look forward to whatever he gets to do next (The Expendables, and it will kick your ass). His star power cannot be denied, and the audacity of the filmmakers is frankly unparalleled. See this movie to be amazed at how much further it went than the first installment.

If that wasn't enough, here's the trailer:

2 comments:

Little Brother said...

I haven't seen it, nor do I plan to see it. The simple fact that you said it was even more than the first one gives me reason enough to not watch it. The first Crank was TERRIBLE!!! You're the only person I've talked to that liked it (let alone thought it was great). No intention of giving this "franchise" my money

Old Man Duggan said...

Are. You. On. Crack?

Or more precisely, why aren't you? Revisit the first one and embrace it for what it is. I don't know any guy who is able to appreciate films for accomplishing what they set out to do that didn't love Crank.

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