Crank

[Neil]

Just watched this last night, and wow.

I'm not sure taking the Split Infinitive route is even nessecary...I mean when i heard the plot outline, the first thing i thought of was, "wow, now they can blow shit up for the sake of blowing it up, and it might actually tie in with the plot..." So, i knew what i was getting into before i went in, and everyone else does as well, so i wouldn't want to write an enourmous post on this and have everyone asking for their lives back.

This movie is exactly the type of film that says, "shock me, shock me, shock me" in hopes that people will see it...but, it was kind of fun. kind of.

Spoiler:

I'm just glad, that they didn't give him an antidote and he would live happily ever after and blah blah blah.  But with the down note being so mainstream these days, what should i have expected?

[w/o horse]

Split Infinitive's review is bullshit.  While it perfectly express the events of the movie, it perfectly misses the point of the action movie.  What's with all this videogame referencing?  Movies don't get their kicks from videogames, videogames get their kicks from movies.  If there's been an action movie that's come out since the mid-80s which hasn't felt like a videogame, it's not on my tongue.  'Postwhetever,' 'doesn't know its roots' 'I liked the cheesiest part of the film the most' 'Buttfuck' Ugh.

Here's what the movie is:  Running Scared may have been the last movie we saw with this caliber of edginess, but the roots here are Run Lola Run.  It's a manic, beast of a film that uses a plot simply to serve a man running around.  The guy and girl, the guy and the world, is pure stimulus for the eighty three minutes of folderol and fun.  Again and again there are outrageous scenes, without a pretense of philosophical weight, or the pretext of cultural identity (save a lame Al Queda joke, the real worst moment), and without marching to any of the beats of a story.  The movie knows exactly where it is the whole time and neither apologizes, not even in its ending, makes excuses, nor injests Hollywood rules.  The production is non-existant, it feels like total source lighting, the screen changes sizes and references itself, and the characters aren't people.  They're targets.  This isn't videogame logic, this is action movie logic, at its purest.  It's loving to fuck the girl without telling her you love her.  It's the destiny of action films.  I think it's a lot of fun.

[MacGuffin]

Damn right, here's to hoping that it's as ridiculous and violent and goofy as it should be.

It was. Man, this film was like a coked-up episode of 24 mixed with the story of the Edmond O'Brien version of D.O.A. directed the Oliver Stone who make Natural Born Killers.

[MacGuffin]

Jason Statham to reprise 'Crank' role
Actor on board for Lakeshore/Lionsgate sequel
Source: Variety

Jason Statham will reprise the role of hitman Chev Chelios in "Crank 2: High Voltage" for Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment.

The two companies are also teaming on "Game," starring Gerard Butler. Michael C. Hall has signed on to co-star in the futuristic thriller.

Both films, which are being shot back to back, are written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the team that created the 2006 sleeper hit "Crank."

Lionsgate will handle North American distribution, while Lakeshore will handle international distribution. Lakeshore will introduce the film to international buyers at this week's American Film Market.

In "Crank 2," Chelios faces a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.

Lakeshore's Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Skip Williamson and Richard Wright will produce.

"Game" is a high-concept thriller set in a dystopian future. Amber Valletta, Logan Lerman, Alison Lohman, John Leguizamo, Johnny Whitworth, Zoe Bell and Kyra Sedgwick round out the cast. Principal photography begins Nov. 5 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Rosenberg, Lucchesi and Williamson are producing.

Lionsgate distributed Lakeshore's "Crank" in North America in 2006 and recently acquired Lakeshore's "Midnight Meat Train," which is scheduled for release next year.

At AFM, Lakeshore is also handling international sales for Oliver Stone's "Pinkville," starring Bruce Willis, Woody Harrelson and Channing Tatum.

[Ravi]

Just finished watching Crank.  We're never in danger of taking the film too seriously.  Any filmmakers showing the main character having sex in the middle of Chinatown know they're making something silly.  The villains are stock, the girl is there just to, um, keep the guy's adrenaline up, and the action setpieces are ridiculous.  I liked Crank, but I wouldn't see it again.

[john]

I liked Crank, but I wouldn't see it again.

Really? Even if it was called, say...

"Crank 2: High Voltage"

[cine]

Crank 2: Crono's Revenge

[Ravi]

I'll keep watching until Crank IV: Why Do I Keep Getting Into Situations Where I Have To Keep My Adrenaline Up So I Don't Die?

[SiliasRuby]

Both this and the sequel are utterly ridiculous. Turn off every part of your brain just let absurdity flow over you.

[matt35mm]

I crank every night.

Cry and wank, that is.