Empire's Crank 2: High Voltage Movie Review

Crank 2: High Voltage
Wham, bam, scram, on the lam, thank you ma’am

Plot
Hitman Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) fell from a helicopter and died – except he didn’t because of his indestructible heart. But now that’s been replaced with an electric model to keep him going while they harvest his other organs for transplant. Chelios has to go on the hunt for the missing pump, while keeping himself going with regular electric shocks.

Review

“Morally bankrupt” doesn’t come close. This is a film that replaces plot with gratuitous violence, character with gratuitous sex / nudity, and theme with a stripper getting her implants punctured in a gunfight. There’s wince-inducing self-harm, and it may contain scenes of mild peril. Thank god it’s also endlessly entertaining and one of the funniest films of the year.

The action – a term we use advisedly – picks up exactly where the first film left off, with our hero Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) smashing to earth in an apparently lifeless heap. We see him scraped off the pavement with a snow shovel and bundled into a van, thence to have his heart removed and replaced with an electrical model not designed for heavy use. So for him to, say, race through LA, have public sex on a racetrack, slam bad guys through walls or stick oiled shotguns in places they really shouldn’t be stuck, he’s going to need regular electric shocks to keep him going. Cue Statham juicing himself up with jump leads, grabbing power cables with both hands and in extremis rubbing himself up against polyester-sporting little old ladies.

In short, it’s hard to see where the action genre goes from this franchise, with demented writer-directors Neveldine and Taylor cranking volume, pace and the power lines up to 11. For all Michael Bay’s rust-coloured sunsets and giant robots, even he has always stopped short of having a character slice his own nipples off, or reanimating a severed head. It’s testament to the absurdity of this franchise that a dreamlike sequence where a papier-mache headed, Godzilla-sized Statham beats up a bad guy in a model city seems like one of the film’s more realistic moments.

But Crank knows its own limitations, using John de Lancie’s newsreader for a couple of wry asides and keeping tongue firmly in cheek. Statham’s relentless deadpannery and Cockerney rhyming slang (“Where the fuck is my strawberry tart?”) provide a solid focus, with Amy Smart’s dim-bulb girlfriend once again offering supporting laughs. Neveldine and Taylor slip up with some supporting characters – Bai Ling’s Ria is this film’s JarJar, Corey Haim is largely pointless and a Chelios childhood flashback suffers from appalling accent work – and rely too heavily on casual racism and the entertainment power of boobies, but when they focus on mayhem they’re unbeatable.

Verdict

Reviewed by Helen O'Hara

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Average user rating for Crank 2: High Voltage

Crank 2: High Voltage Review
Crank: High Voltage delivers on its promises: a fast-paced, exciting thrill ride that doesn't take itself too seriously. ... More


Posted by the film man at 11:54, 17 February 2012 \| Report This Post



RE: Crank 2: High Voltage: More Brilliant Madness!
My main criticism of Crank was that it suffered from flat, unimaginative action scenes. The proposed mayhem and gratuitous violence was stilted, somewhat restrained and didn't quite match the glorious absurdity of the bonkers, stupidly high-concept plot. Well, Crank 2: High Voltage is a whole new level of 'fuck me, that's awesome' and as sequels go, it puts everything right that didn't quite work in the original. Its bat-shit insane, but with the balls to really tell good taste to take a h... More


Posted by clownfoot at 12:44, 03 August 2011 \| Report This Post



Crank 2: High Voltage: More Brilliant Madness!
Another great installment in to the Crank series. My favourite bit was the little animation in the electric yard, I love the way the film continued straight after the first which made it easier to follow, the special effects were great as predicted although the downside for me was the ending which I thought was a bit over the top. Not as great as the first but still brilliant viewing. Another action must. ... More


Posted by LUCASLITTLEWOOD at 20:29, 03 August 2010 \| Report This Post



Great fun!
Just as good as the first. Completely over the top in the best possible way. ... More


Posted by Workshed at 17:24, 25 July 2010 \| Report This Post




tp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1121931/]Crank: High Voltageecond part in the franchise around Chev Chelios continues exactly where the first part ended. More so than in the first part, during these 90 minutes we`re witness of an action flick on speed. Totally over the top (sometimes a bit too much) and full of (lame) humor, it`s a great rollercoaster ride. Of course it doesn`t have the originality of the first part wich makes it not as good as that one, still this is an excellent and fun film. /b] ... More


Posted by TheGodfather at 08:44, 04 June 2010 \| Report This Post



Crank: High Voltage
Okay, most of you will look at the five star rating and be like "what the fu-" I cut you off because I want you to read this, think about the movie THEN watch it. Crank: High Voltage is more ridiculous than Grand Theft Auto. A series which continues to make millions, get almost ten out of ten ratings for every game it brings out and has a huge following. This film was made as sheer dribble and to be an over the top, ridiculous movie. The soundtrack, like the first, is awesome, the post... More


Posted by mymatebone at 15:24, 08 May 2010 \| Report This Post



JUST AWFUL!
The Stath is normally a safe bet for 90 mindless minutes, but having caught this (literally) on Sky last night, it's safe to say that this is one of the worst films I have ever seen. Absolute rubbish and every bit as heartless as it's 'hero'. ... More


Posted by chief brody at 13:50, 26 April 2010 \| Report This Post



poor effort.
I know lots of people like this film but i thought it was peure garbage. its seriously bad. I loved the first one but this is terrible on so many levels. give it a miss. Stath you can do better. ... More


Posted by livewire at 14:40, 11 January 2010 \| Report This Post



More Of The Same, Just Crazier
Sequels are one thing, but starting part 2 exactly where part 1 ended (Staham falling out of a helicopter, bouncing off a car, and landing in the street) makes one thing clear from the start. This is not so much a sequel as a continuation. If 5-hour movies were acceptable from a commercial point of view, this would all have been one film. Where the problem lies is that for Crank 2 to be any good at all it has to outdo Crank 1. That is a little like a volcano having to out-perform Krakatoa.... More


Posted by magiclips at 08:51, 23 December 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: crank 2
loved crank 2 it was violent, funny with great wisecracks from the statham and some really squeamish shots for guys to actually watch involving a big chinese guy and a bike. Yeah it got a bit weird halfway through but the action scenes were amazing in their unbelieveability. ... More


Posted by anakin solo at 10:55, 13 June 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: crank 2
]The first film was good: fresh, funny and admirably anarchic. The second one is just horrible]. High Voltageoffensive when it's striving to be (]the stripper getting shot, the inventive swearing), but in the assumptions it makes about its audience. ]I thought I was quite difficult to offend, but apparently entrenched racism, misogny and homophobia, coupled with the idea that Tourette's is, like, funnythe trick. There are a few good moments (the reference to the fi... More


Posted by rick_7 at 11:42, 08 May 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: crank 2
Finally saw this last night and while I'm not one to overexaggerate things Crank 2 is clearly the best thing since jesus. It's insane and I love it. Statham is the man. It's a hell of a lot funnier than I thought it would be, I was laughing pretty much the whole time. Chicken and Broccoli. p; ... More

Posted by Scott_ at 09:36, 07 May 2009 \| Report This Post



crank 2
best film ever!!!! not really but what an unbelieveble watch you have to se it to believe it.... ... More


Posted by haygaz at 06:21, 01 May 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: CLEARLY SHIT
L: adambatman82 L: Goodfella Fucking excellent, and I haven't even seen the first one yet!What the fuck is that, Cuntenese?" "You two little sausage nigels disgust me." "Did I drop some change or did I hear a chink?" ote] hilarious stuff. larry david better watch his back. sp; I'm going to assume that's sarcasm although I think Seinfield is cack. Although I would say the Crank films are clearly inspired by Tarantino and the grindhouse he was inspi... More

Posted by Goodfella at 10:50, 29 April 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: CLEARLY SHIT
L: Goodfella Fucking excellent, and I haven't even seen the first one yet!What the fuck is that, Cuntenese?" "You two little sausage nigels disgust me." "Did I drop some change or did I hear a chink?" ote] hilarious stuff. larry david better watch his back. ... More

Posted by adambatman82 at 22:21, 28 April 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: CLEARLY SHIT
Fucking excellent, and I haven't even seen the first one yet!p; "What the fuck is that, Cuntenese?" "You two little sausage nigels disgust me." "Did I drop some change or did I hear a chink?" ... More

Posted by Goodfella at 09:42, 28 April 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: CLEARLY SHIT
I suspect the Nuts and Zoo crowd would have more fun watching Fast and Furious. Crank 2 may have been too "unrealisitc" for them. ... More

Posted by Rgirvan44 at 16:58, 27 April 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: CLEARLY SHIT
I thought this film was shit. It trys desperately hard to cram as much into two hours as possible to appeal to the Nuts / Zoo generation. ... More

Posted by Spiked at 16:56, 27 April 2009 \| Report This Post



FUCK YOU CHELIOS!!!!
As my gran used to say "It may be shite but it's entertaining shite". And much like the first film this is totally ridiculous but it's so much fun. Heres hoping for Crank 3. One of the best films of the year. ... More


Posted by PaulJohn at 19:20, 26 April 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: One of the best action films i've ever seen. Chev Chelios is the new icon of action flicks.
Yes it was mindless, yes it was offensive, yes it was crazily stupid.... but man did I enjoy it! Very very very funny in parts (dog collar, godzilla) whilst just as crazy as it needs to be the rest of the time, Statham is great and even though Crank 3 may be pushing it, I'm intrigued as to do what they will do next.... **** ... More


Posted by DJ Rob C: Mark II! at 09:44, 26 April 2009 \| Report This Post



RE: Cranked Out
I'm all for a bit of mindless entertainment but this was pure shite. I was totally bored after about 10 minutes. You may ask..........why did you go and see it? Well, I'll tell ya..........I like a good action movie, but then I was raised on Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and the like. Crap like this is just what modern gimp directors deem to be stylish and imaginative. In reality it's nothing more than computer game influenced shite. Absolute crap in the extreme. ... More

Posted by mackey at 01:31, 26 April 2009 \| Report This Post



Cranked Out
This is a very unimpressive and wholly unnecessary sequel. Let's face it, the original only really had one thing going for it and that was its breathless pace, spurred on by Chelios' constant need to seek adrenaline. Since Chelios' ongoing aim is now to 'recharge' his artificial heart, the reason for keeping the pace up is dull and contrived. Once you've seen someone give themself an electric shock by car battery/pylon/taser once, you've seen it a million times. Even the makers got bored of find... More


Posted by AgentCool at 12:09, 24 April 2009 \| Report This Post



One of the best action films i've ever seen. Chev Chelios is the new icon of action flicks.
I was left breathless. Crank is back 'n' fully loaded. High Voltage is even better than the original. I really enjoyed it. The film is perfect: funny, violent, sexy and thrilling. Definitely not for the faint of heart. And, it has that Pulp Fiction-ish air, y'know, extreme violence + sex + drugs + comedy = great movie. Chev Chelios, the anti-hero we needed, is the new John Rambo. Verdict: One of the most entertaining, freak out, spectacle in years. This couldn't like me more. Highly recommendabl... More


Posted by nc_jj at 02:26, 24 April 2009 \| Report This Post



Crank: High Voltage
Must admit I could have done without Geri Halliwell and that Godzilla bit, and I'm not sure the world needs a third Crank film, but overall I really enjoyed this. Statham throws himself into the film with gusto in the kind of role I can't imagine any other star even considering playing (I can't think theres many films where the lead character sticks a shotgun up a fat guys arse overall its so silly it manages to get through to the end without outliving its welcome. ... More

Posted by Indio at 23:54, 23 April 2009 \| Report This Post



A film of two halves...
Slight spoilers..... Loved the first film and saw this one a couple of days ago. What surprises me by the reviews so far is that the huge divide in quality between the 1st half of the film and the 2nd half isn't really mentioned. The 1st half is fantastic fun. The emphasis is completely on "The Stath" doing his thing. It's brilliant, full of adrenaline, and has several laugh-out-loud moments. Once the hilarious sex-scene is out of the way, proceedings take a huge downturn. ... More


Posted by BertyBasset at 21:35, 23 April 2009 \| Report This Post



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Crank 2: High VoltageWham, bam, scram, on the lam, thank you ma’am

Crank 2: High Voltage
Wham, bam, scram, on the lam, thank you ma’am