Crank: High Voltage

Crank 2 screams insanity from the word go. It yells "bullshit" left, right and centre. The things that happen in this film are extremely far-fetched and anybody chasing a 'realistic' movie will be disappointed.

But then again, who am I to be telling you this. Anybody walking into this movie should already be aware of the pure crap thrown into it from every possible angle.

This review comes from a fan of intense dialogue and drama. However, walking into this movie I expected entertainment. I put the Crank 2 DVD into my DVD player, switched off my brain and hoped for the best. And, that's exactly what I got!

It is just INSANE. I cannot think of another word to describe it.

Anybody who is going to be yelling out during the movie, "that's bullshit" or "that's impossible", will not enjoy this movie. In order for this movie to be enjoyed, your brain needs to be switched off!

So, do yourself a favour: switch off your brain and watch this movie. I guarantee you that you will be entrained to the MAX!

Quite possibly the silliest movie ever made. I'm pretty sure these guys set out to make the ultimate mindless action flick and they succeeded brilliantly IMO. I've never seen anything like it before. IMDb claims the budget was $20M, although that seems like quite a stretch. But there is about $1B worth of craziness in it. The makers didn't hold anything back - no restraint whatsoever and it's amazing. Anyone looking to be offended will be. Guaranteed. I've heard of people walking out of movies but this is the first time I ever saw it happen. I wonder if they asked for their $$$ back. I'm pretty sure the theaters are covered from giving refunds; there's fine print on the tix or something.

Anyway, the opening credits are in video game form, which I now realize was a signal. Viewers need to forget reality, not just suspend disbelief in that routine movie kind of way. These guys throw everything they can think of up on the screen and I kept wondering what drugs they were using during filming. Maybe all of them. Also, there's something to irritate everybody. I really mean that; I don't think any insult or stereotype or slur was left out. Nothing offensive was held back that I could notice, although I've led a sheltered life.

Now here's the switch: it's hilarious and I mean laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish. I saw scenes I never saw before or ever expected to see. It starts out so unbelievably crazy that it's actually shocking (sorry) and then just keeps it up and keeps it going for the entire flick. Dark Chocolate's elaborate eye-roll sequence is one for the ages and is worth the price of admission all by itself.

Here's how funny it is: SpikeTV showed it and of course had to make countless cuts: not just the copious female nudity but the language and graphic violence and so on. Anyway, with all that gone it was still incredibly funny and astounding and just totally insane. The ending was a set-up for a sequel, same way the first "Crank" was, but I honestly don't see how they can top this one. Maybe I'm wrong; I sure hope so but it seems to me that they deliberately made it as wild as possible and didn't hold anything back.

One last word: it's not for everyone. I promise you'll either absolutely love it or thoroughly despise it. There will be no in-between for this one.

This is without a doubt one of the most insane films I have ever seen. I loved the first film and have been looking forward to the sequel. This one blows the mad-o-meter off the chart. I read on here somewhere Jason Statham was quoted saying something like…. "You ain't ever gonna get an Academy Award for doing Crank" Well I beg to differ; I think an award category should be created for making a film like this. It has similarities to the first film of course but that's what makes this film so enjoyable. Jason is superb as Chev Chelios again and had me laughing my ass off with his cockney slang and his superb stunts. One thing I will say, I took my wife with me to see this and all the way through the film she had that "Could this get anymore ridiculous" look on her face. Meanwhile I couldn't stop laughing at the fact that the more outrageous this film got, the more I found myself loving it. You know when they say "A roller-coaster ride of a movie". Well on this roller-coaster ride you ain't strapped into your seat, it has dozens of loops and it's faster than anything you have ridden in your life. You need to see this film. In fact scrub that, I will say this…Crank 2 falls into the "Things to do before you die" category. Go and see this now.

Chev Chelios was dead, but he got better.

Jason Statham returns as the lead in "Crank: High Voltage", and in every way this sequel breaks the rules and pushes the bar to insane new levels, sometimes even a bit too far.

Three months after his "helicopter incident", Chelios awakens to see that Chinese black-market surgeons are slicing his famed "Chelios Heart" out (made famous by the fact that it kept beating after the events of the first film), and replacing it with a surrogate artificial heart, so they can keep him alive while they farm more of his organs.

Chelios escapes and discovers he has a whole new set of problems- his heart is connected to an external battery pack. When this battery pack runs out of juice, he only has one hour before his artificial heart stops and he dies. And of course one of the first things that happens is that his battery pack is smashed! Now Chelios has to keep his artificial heart beating with regular volts of electricity to recharge it, using anything he can- car power outlets, jumper cables, power stations, stun-guns- whatever he can get his hands on.

His goal- track down psychotic criminal Johnny Vang, who is seemingly parading around Chelios's heart in a miniature cooler, and get it back, so old friend and medical expert Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam in a returning role as the man who lets the audience know exactly what's going on) can put it back in.

Chelios is also being tracked by sadistic criminals sent by "El Huron", a crime lord who has some devious connections to Chelios and his past actions.

This film has a very convoluted plot, but like the first one, it works out rather well. One particular thing I enjoyed is that we spend a little more time with subsequent and secondary characters, like Chev's girlfriend Eve (the sexy Amy Smart), Venus (Efron Ramirez portraying the brother to his slain character Laylo from the first film), and other characters that come up. It just adds to the plot, and gives it more reality, in contrast to the literal circus of Mayhem that Mr. Chev Chelios is stirring up.

Speaking of returning characters, this film certainly has a lot of cameos from characters from movie number one, which was a delight for me as a fan. Fans of the first "Crank", you'll definitely get a kick out of some of the cameos in this entry.

Now, onto the psychotic weirdness of the film. If you've seen the first film, you'll know it used strange tactics, like subtitles, graphics, and nightmarish imagery to put you inside of the heads of the characters. This film expands on that, by using and abusing subtitles, insane graphics, medical films, and more on a fairly regular basis. We even get a hilarious pseudo-flashback of sorts, and it is one of the most abrupt and brilliant segues I've ever seen to bridge two scenes.

And on that note, I should mention that this film does play for laughs a lot more than the first film. In fact, there are scenes specifically written to play for laughs more than for actions. As a fan, that may sound disheartening (sorry, had to make a heart pun), but trust me, it works. The film definitely teeters on self-satire at times (including a uproariously funny line of dialog where Eve swipes at fans who would call Chev surviving the first film "impossible"), but it keeps it's balance and lets us know that its not taking itself too seriously, so the comedy fits right in.

Writers/Directors Neveldine / Taylor also step the visuals up a notch. While not as haggard visually as the first film, this follow-up does have some pretty visuals, and is better-directed in terms of camera placement and editing in my opinion, and it fits right in with the first one. Their script is also to be commended for being so bold, with bizarre characters (I didn't even mention David Carradine going all "Charlie Chan"!), insane story lines, and one of the most over-the-top and unexpected finales I've seen in a long time. This isn't just an action movie, it's Looney Toons for grown-ups! It's the action equivalent of what "Evil Dead II" was to horror! It's brilliant in it's execution and definitely a step in the right direction for a sequel to "Crank"- not too serious.

This film literally left me in awe with its lunacy and action. If you loved the first film, then there's almost no way you won't love this entry.

I give "Crank: High Voltage" an 8 out of 10, because like the first film, it's the ultimate rush, and now it's even the ultimate source for laughs! Give this one a shot, you'll love it!

This movie is not for the faint of heart.

If you've watched the first Crank and enjoyed it, you will absolutely love this one. It pushes the boundaries the first one set to the absolute maximum. There are no lines this film does not cross, from outrageous public sex scenes to gore that almost rivals the Saw franchise. It will keep your heart pounding for the entire film's duration. It's one of the most hilarious, stylish and down-right insane films I have ever watched.

If you haven't watched the first Crank, I recommend watching it before you even think of watching this film. It'll give you some good background story and also prepare you for what you are about to see.

If you saw the first Crank and didn't like it... do not watch this movie. Multiply Crank by 1000 volts and you get this incredible sequel.

The Crank franchise is an acquired taste, and this stretches it even for fans.