Crank (2006)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

Mark Neveldine
Brian Taylor

Writers:

Mark Neveldine (written by) &
Brian Taylor (written by)

Release Date:

1 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Poison in his veins. Vengeance in his heart.

Plot:

Professional assassin Chev Chelios learns his rival has injected him with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops.

Plot Keywords:

Heart | Poison | Doctor | Revenge | Skyline

Cast

Jason Statham	...	Chev Chelios
Amy Smart	...	Eve
Jose Pablo Cantillo	...	Verona
Efren Ramirez	...	Kaylo
Dwight Yoakam	...	Doc Miles
Carlos Sanz	...	Carlito
Reno Wilson	...	Orlando
Edi Gathegi	...	Haitian Cabbie
Glenn Howerton	...	Doctor
Jay Xcala	...	Alex
Keone Young	...	Don Kim
Valarie Rae Miller	...	Chocolate
Yousuf Azami	...	Arab Cabbie
Laurent Schwaar	...	Man in Garage (as Laurent Schwar)
David Brown	...	Sin City Brother

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexuality, nudity and drug use.

Runtime:

87 min | 93 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:18 | Australia:MA | Ireland:18 | Germany:18 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | USA:R (certificate #42799) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Singapore:M18 | Philippines:R-13 | Romania:I.M.-18 | New Zealand:R18 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (cut) | Netherlands:16 | Italy:VM14 | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Japan:R-15 | Finland:K-18 (self applied) | Brazil:16 | Hungary:18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lakeshore Entertainment

Trivia:

Jason Statham did all of his own fight and car stunts.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Chelios is driving the police motorbike on the bridge/freeway, you can clearly see a bright sky with shiny weather, moments later it's very cloudy. The change is visible several times.

Quotes:

Chev Chelios: I know what I'm going to have to do.
Orlando: What's that?
Chev Chelios: I'm going to have to kick some black ass.

Movie Connections:

References Pulp Fiction (1994)

Soundtrack:

Aziza

Jon Monsarrat review: like Die Hard & Face-Off - a must-see

I love action movies, but they have to be intelligent. No "The Mummy" or "The Fast and the Furious" for me. Crank nails it in every way.

It's hard enough to pull together a film with a lot of stunts. Then top that by making it non-stop action throughout. Then top that by having an intelligent plot that keeps you thinking and characters whose motivations and decisions make sense. Then top that by adding in some humor that doesn't blow the seriousness of the movie but adds some charm and -- listen up, Jet Li -- originality to the stunts.

But then, pump it up with cinematography that (unlike The Bourne Identity, which didn't work for me) makes the whole thing even more original and adds to the drama instead of being puffery. Then add Amy Smart, yum. Despite the fast pace, there is actually real chemistry with her as the love interest.

Every action movie lover should go out and see this film immediately. It is everything that Snakes on a Plane, which is cheesy and bad, and I don't mean good-bad, is not.

Who should see this movie:

-- Action movie fans, you might not want to bring your SO, it's pretty hardcore with the gore and violence

-- Enraged assassins with 2 hours to live I'll give "Crank" a 9 out of 10, the only missing point being that there's no real depth to the drama, it's strictly "just for the action".