Spring Break
The insanity continues in 'Crank 2'
Eric Nigosanti
Issue date: 4/21/09 Section: Focus
Chev Chelios is back! As if there were any doubt. The question is, can Chelios (Jason Statham) match the level of mayhem he brought about in the original Crank in "Crank 2: High Voltage?" Of course he can, and then he exceeds it. "Crank 2" is a bit of an unlikely sequel, since the last time we saw our favorite shoot-em-up anti-hero he was a pavement pancake after falling out of a helicopter flying over downtown Los Angeles. So it is just as much as a surprise to him as everybody else to see him awake, and alive, on an operating table at the beginning of the movie.
Unfortunately for Chelios, the surgeons do not have his best intentions in mind as he watches them remove his heart and replace it with a temporary artificial one. After overhearing the surgeons might take more, Chelios thinks enough is enough, breaks free, and sets out on a mission to retrieve his strawberry tart (that would be his heart). The trick is to keep his fake heart a-tickin' he needs to periodically jolt it with electricity.
Packed full of explosions, constantly moving scenes and don't try this at home stunts, "Crank 2" is certainly not a let down in excitement from the first one. Statham is dramatically and comically terrific playing the single minded Chelios, whose quest to retrieve his heart has him fighting his way through gang wars, cops and striking porno workers.
One of the best parts of the movie is the absurd personalities and side stories of Chelios' collection of sidekicks. Returning characters are Chelios' girlfriend Eve (played by Amy Smart who is at her whorish best) and Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam). The new additions are Ria (Ling Bai), a psychopathic hooker who becomes obsessed with Chelios after he saves her life, and Venus (Efren Ramirez), the identical twin of Chelios' previous partner.
The endless amount of violence, profanity and nudity is enough to satisfy some viewers, but what makes "Crank 2" work is that anything can happen next. The movie switches genres - whether it be kung fu, western, porno or monster movie - at the drop of a hat, which is combined with the fact that laws of physics rarely seem to apply to build a mystery in each scene knowing anything is possible.
Although little is to be taken seriously, the action and plot points in "Crank 2: High Voltage" are often way over the top, but it is all geared to keep the audience's adrenaline levels pumping at the highest level.
Unfortunately for Chelios, the surgeons do not have his best intentions in mind as he watches them remove his heart and replace it with a temporary artificial one. After overhearing the surgeons might take more, Chelios thinks enough is enough, breaks free, and sets out on a mission to retrieve his strawberry tart (that would be his heart). The trick is to keep his fake heart a-tickin' he needs to periodically jolt it with electricity.
Packed full of explosions, constantly moving scenes and don't try this at home stunts, "Crank 2" is certainly not a let down in excitement from the first one. Statham is dramatically and comically terrific playing the single minded Chelios, whose quest to retrieve his heart has him fighting his way through gang wars, cops and striking porno workers.
One of the best parts of the movie is the absurd personalities and side stories of Chelios' collection of sidekicks. Returning characters are Chelios' girlfriend Eve (played by Amy Smart who is at her whorish best) and Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam). The new additions are Ria (Ling Bai), a psychopathic hooker who becomes obsessed with Chelios after he saves her life, and Venus (Efren Ramirez), the identical twin of Chelios' previous partner.
The endless amount of violence, profanity and nudity is enough to satisfy some viewers, but what makes "Crank 2" work is that anything can happen next. The movie switches genres - whether it be kung fu, western, porno or monster movie - at the drop of a hat, which is combined with the fact that laws of physics rarely seem to apply to build a mystery in each scene knowing anything is possible.
Although little is to be taken seriously, the action and plot points in "Crank 2: High Voltage" are often way over the top, but it is all geared to keep the audience's adrenaline levels pumping at the highest level.
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