chimera3 My title for this review pretty much says it all. I don't know how I became acquainted with this gritty gem, but I must say that I am glad that I got to knowing it. When I first got into this, I really didn't know what to make of it because I was not that used to many of Jason Statham's movies. The movies of his that I did watch before this ("Ghosts of Mars" and "War," just to name a couple) were not anything to write home about. This, on the other hand, is.In my opinion, this is like a lost episode of "Mission Impossible." Why? Well, the home movie that Chev Chelios views contains details about what happened to him. Then he consults his doctor friend to figure out how to stay alive. Throughout the movie, he keeps in close contact with the doctor all the while fighting off the villains and spending some time with his girlfriend. As stated, it almost reads like "Mission Impossible" in some unique way not known to man.Let's not forget some of the dialogue that gets thrown around. When my brother and I first watched this, we were rolling on the floor laughing. The one-liners are memorable. Granted this movie would never get any awards (most action movies almost never do), it is definitely good for a barrel of laughs. Jason's reputation as an action junkie definitely shows here and it is definitely something to write home about. If you're having a bad day and feel like punching something, watch this movie for a bit of inspiration.

Davis P Crank is nothing but a big excuse to pump a bunch of stupid testosterone pumping scenes together. This movie is the stereotypical man's dream, graphic nonstop action and violence, nude women, and the ogling of females private parts 24/7. I will say that I think Jason Statham is a pretty good actor, which is why I have no idea why he would choose to star in such a stupid movie! Seriously the plot to this movie is just testosterone, that's all that is. I mean scene after scene after scene shows Jason Statham either killing people or screwing his girlfriend in public why bystanders cheer on. I really hated this movie because there was nothing that convinced me to keep watching, there was nothing interesting AT ALL. First of all, I'm not a prude OK, I can take a lot and I'm pretty liberal about what I watch, but the violence and sex in this movie is just degrading and exploitative. I was seriously just sitting there watching this crap unfold asking myself what the heck am I watching. And to all the men out there who like this movie: why is this such a typical "guy movie"?? I mean what is so appealing? Is it the constant ANTI-GAY sentiment (uses of f****t). Is it seeing women have no purpose but something to screw when you need adrenaline?? Or seeing a guy's hand get sliced off?? This movie is so low its sad. I'm so disappointed that Amy smart did this movie, she plays such an idiot and there's no purpose to her role other than something to have sex with. The plot is sooo stupid, it's just an excuse for a bunch of crazy insane events to happen. Crank is a piece of GARBADGE! For people who say this is a great movie for men, that's sad, and it makes me ashamed to be a male. This is not a "guy" movie, it's a BAD movie. 1/10. Is zero an option??

Leofwine_draca CRANK is a post-modern Hollywood blockbuster in that it takes things backwards, actually appearing to be a low budget, poorly shot amateur movie. Every directorial trick in the book is thrown into the pot in this one, with crazy camera-work, hand-held cameras, shaky cams (worse than BLAIR WITCH!), POV shots, tracking, you name it. From the moment you see the crudely-drawn-on-a-computer title screen you know you're going to be in for a 'different' film and CRANK is very different in style. However, the plot is nothing new, and can basically be summed up as 'SPEED inside a human'. Jason Statham struts his action stuff as he goes on a rampage through the city, trying to keep his heart rate up by engaging in all kinds of antisocial behaviour. Thankfully the film only plays for eighty-odd minutes so the idea never becomes boring.Now, I enjoyed the action stuff in this film. The stand-offs and shoot-outs are stylishly handled and realistic and there are some imaginatively gritty moments, like when a guy has his hand caught in a sewing machine! The acting is generally good, with lots of intense stuff from Statham and Cantillo as the slimy bad guy, but who cast Amy Smart as Statham's girlfriend? Seriously, the blonde bimbo girlfriend role is terrible in this film, an awful part and Smart is horrible in it. Seriously bad. You never believe for a second that Statham's character would go for such a girl.Elsewhere the film contains plenty of comedy. Some of it is funny – the 'hand in a waffle toaster' gag is crude but effective, and the chopped-hand jokes are enjoyable. But the crude attempts at comedy are not so great, and a bit tired. I'm surprised Statham suffered the indignity of all the erection jokes and the sex-in-the-street scene is just embarrassingly bad. If it wasn't for the student-style laughs, CRANK would be an above-average action flick; as it stands, it's wildly uneven and inventive; half of it works, half of it falls flat. Worth watching but not more than once.

bowmanblue My friend is a big Jason Statham fan. I said to her, 'You must have LOVED 'Crank' then?' to which she said that – actually – she hated it. Her reason was that it was too 'unrealistic.' So, perhaps straight off, I should warn people that if they're expecting something majorly true to life and realistic then they better move on. Crank is 100% not realistic. There have been numerous parallels to video games (mainly the 'Grand Theft Auto' franchise) in as much as it's stupidly over-the-top, but knowingly so – so that's okay (in my book, anyway).Jason 'The Stath' Statham, plays a hit-man with a name that I can never remember how to spell and, one sunny morning in Los Angeles, he wakes up poisoned by a baddie and with less than an hour to live (but, it's also worth noting that the film's runtime is over an hour and a half, so we know that the Stath is going to last a little longer than his foe intended). However, luckily for our cockney hero (yes, he's not bothering with his faux U.S. accent) he soon figures out that if he keeps his adrenaline suitably raised then he'll be okay (well, not okay, but won't die instantly).So, that's basically the film – Jason Statham runs (literally!) from scene to scene, finding one weird and wonderful way of keeping his heart rate up while trying to track down and kill the person who did this to him (and, if there's a genuine antidote out there, he'll have that, too). And that's where the video game similarities start to ring true. It does seem like Jason Statham is travelling from one 'level' to the next, fighting an 'end-of-level-boss' before moving on to the next. What I'm trying to say is that there isn't much of a story to it, so – again – if you're expecting either realism or an in-depth story then you're looking in the wrong place.Me? I like a film that's totally unrealistic with no real story. Therefore, I loved 'Crank.' Yes, it's totally daft, but it never sets out to be anything other than a completely ridiculous action film that's filmed like a cool 'MTV-style' music video. If it wasn't for the fact that Jason Statham is a sex symbol for women, I may be almost tempted to say that Crank is a 'guy's film.' Either way, it's a type of film that you'll either love or hate. I can't see film critics appreciating it much. You don't need much brain power to 'get' it – just be in the mood for something both action-packed and low brow. This is definitely it.