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Crank (2006)
The Transporter on the Beijing Cocktail, with an ephedrine and cocaine chaser.
Having first become acquainted with Jason Statham from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, I can safely say he has become the epitome of the tough guy. Most of the movies he has made since (with the exception of Snatch) are your run-of-the-mill action movie. I did like Transporter, with the exception of the second half of the movie which completely ran out of gas. There was definite potential there. The Transporter 2 completely obliterated any chance, by completely going off the deep end and not in a good way either.
Thankfully someone learned from all these movies and came up with Crank. Crank has a very simplistic plot. Chev Chelios (Statham) is well-known contract assassin, who wakes up to discover he has been poisoned with a concoction called the Beijing cocktail. It will stop his heart unless he keeps it going, by ANY MEANS NECESSARY!!!! The rest of the movie is figuring out what he's gonna do next and how he's going to tell his clueless, but very attractive girl friend (Amy Smart). This is the fun part of the entire movie. It is basically a live-action mash-up of Narc (the video game from the 80's), GTA (any of them) and some heart-bounding music videos. The formula is simple enough, but can be difficult in the execution (see some of Jason's other movies for reference). The rookie directorial duo of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor do an exceptional job a portraying stylized, non-stop action.
This is an archetypal action movie, not that the movie does anything overly original. What it does it does well and keeps it going pretty much throughout the entire movie. There are few breaks. I had a hard time not breaking a sweat or commenting out loud. I had been disappointed by more recent action movies. This one actually delivers. It delivers everything : car chases, helicopters, mêlée, gun play, explosions, sex, lots and lots of drugs, blood, profanity galore, more stimulants, a mall, a hospital, a drug lord, the amusing Dwight Yoakam and even Pedro (running for class president from Napolean Dynamite). The video game theme permeates every pore of this movie (from the opening heartbeat to the post credit side-scroller). For anyone who has had the sandbox experience of GTA will certainly recognize and appreciate this movie. I highly recommend this for fans of action. I'm feeling a little woozy. I guess its time for me to down some Red Bull and kick some cabbies.
Thankfully someone learned from all these movies and came up with Crank. Crank has a very simplistic plot. Chev Chelios (Statham) is well-known contract assassin, who wakes up to discover he has been poisoned with a concoction called the Beijing cocktail. It will stop his heart unless he keeps it going, by ANY MEANS NECESSARY!!!! The rest of the movie is figuring out what he's gonna do next and how he's going to tell his clueless, but very attractive girl friend (Amy Smart). This is the fun part of the entire movie. It is basically a live-action mash-up of Narc (the video game from the 80's), GTA (any of them) and some heart-bounding music videos. The formula is simple enough, but can be difficult in the execution (see some of Jason's other movies for reference). The rookie directorial duo of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor do an exceptional job a portraying stylized, non-stop action.
This is an archetypal action movie, not that the movie does anything overly original. What it does it does well and keeps it going pretty much throughout the entire movie. There are few breaks. I had a hard time not breaking a sweat or commenting out loud. I had been disappointed by more recent action movies. This one actually delivers. It delivers everything : car chases, helicopters, mêlée, gun play, explosions, sex, lots and lots of drugs, blood, profanity galore, more stimulants, a mall, a hospital, a drug lord, the amusing Dwight Yoakam and even Pedro (running for class president from Napolean Dynamite). The video game theme permeates every pore of this movie (from the opening heartbeat to the post credit side-scroller). For anyone who has had the sandbox experience of GTA will certainly recognize and appreciate this movie. I highly recommend this for fans of action. I'm feeling a little woozy. I guess its time for me to down some Red Bull and kick some cabbies.
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