Crank

odinn7 · January 13, 2007, 09:06:43 AM

So I've been waiting to see this since it hit theaters months ago because it looked good from the commercials. I got it last night from Ballbuster and was lucky enough to be able to get the last one there as they had a whole wall dedicated to this film and all were gone. This one had just been returned. Wow! Talk about luck! Uh...not really...

In short, this movie sucked. I knew within 5 minutes that it was crap and within 20 minutes I found myself looking at the clock hoping to see that it was almost over. The editing was out of a music video...and not even a good one. I guess it was supposed to look artistic and all but all it managed to do was make me p**sed off. The story was almost non-existant too. The basics that you got from the commercials...well, that is the whole story line right there.
It was also hard to even give a crap about the lead character (Jason Statham) and root for him because he was pretty much an a***ole from start to finish. I assumed he would be played as his cool character from the Transporter, forced into having to keep his adrenaline pumping but from what I gathered throughout the film, he was a little whacky anyway and I just hated that as a main character and kept hoping he would die.
The bad guys...one word: Cliche...all of them. Of course I kept hoping they would die as well just because A) I couldn't stand looking at them B) I couldn't stand listening to their dialogue C) A&B again.
I wanted to like this film and it had so much potential but it seems that it was made simply to put Statham into outlandish situations to keep his adrenaline going. Did I already say the editing and camera work sucked?

Jim H · January 14, 2007, 05:07:14 PM

I found it to be so ludicrous, outrageous and over the top that I found it quite entertaining. I can't say it was ultra-memorable, but still solid. The mondo editing style was at times unappealing, but I thought for the most part it was done well.

Neville · January 15, 2007, 07:32:21 AM

I found it rather enjoyable. It's very entertainning, has some decent action and the whole thing is so over the top you end up liking it. I didn't mind the aggresive editing for once, I though it was justified.

I could have done without the Amy Smart character, though. she was very annoying, and the scene in Chinatown was quite tasteless.

Torgo · January 15, 2007, 09:22:25 PM

I give Crank a *** out of ****.

I thought it was fun, and while I'm not the biggest fan of this hyperkinetic style of filmmaking, I thought it fit the subject matter like a glove.

Mr_Vindictive · January 17, 2007, 09:14:27 AM

Man, I watched this last night and I freakin loved it!

I knew I was in for something special as soon as I saw the title card all done up with the 8-bit animation. Then after a small bit of exposition, The Refused (one of my fav bands) kicks in and the movie just takes off from there.

The only problem that I really had with the film is that it packs so much action into the first 45 minutes or so, and then when it slows down - it really really really slows down. Overall though, I thought it was kick ass.

I'd say that it's a tie with Running Scared as far as the best action film to come out last year. Great to start seeing really hard R action flicks.

odinn7 · January 17, 2007, 09:37:49 AM

Nice...so I'm the only one that didn't like this? Seriously?

All you guys got together and decided to say you liked it just because I didn't...right?

Mr_Vindictive · January 17, 2007, 10:14:37 AM

Quote from: odinn7 on January 17, 2007, 09:37:49 AM
Nice...so I'm the only one that didn't like this? Seriously?

All you guys got together and decided to say you liked it just because I didn't...right?

Not at all Odinn.

I don't know what it was. It may have been that I wanted some mindless entertainment after working yesterday and then two and a half hours of a programming class. The film just seemed like the perfect thing for me last night. It was something that I didn't have to think about, and could just sit back and watch the ass kicking.

Jordan · January 17, 2007, 12:18:41 PM

Going into "Crank" I knew it was going to be a no brainer. Yes its ludicrous to the extreme, and very over the top, but it's quite a bit of fun. (And though the Chinatown scene is "tasteless" I freakin' loved it! LOL!) I dunno Oddin, maybe you were going into the film expecting a plot or something?

Didn't you see "Transporter" and "Transporter 2?" Those should've easily prepared you for "Crank."

"My name is Chev Chelios, and today is the day that I get into multiple car crashes, bang my girlfriend in the middle of Chinatown ("I'M ALIIIIIIIVE!"), pick a few fist fights, get into some gunfights, inject myself with various drugs, snort crack, and electrocute myself. Oh yeah, and I'm gonna die too. OY!"

Neville · January 17, 2007, 01:05:45 PM

Jordan, you'd better edit those spoilers or at least place a spoiler warning before anybody notices...

odinn7 · January 17, 2007, 04:31:20 PM

Quote from: Jordan on January 17, 2007, 12:18:41 PM
I dunno Oddin, maybe you were going into the film expecting a plot or something? Didn't you see "Transporter" and "Transporter 2?" Those should've easily prepared you for "Crank."

Not at all...I didn't expect much for a plot here and I saw both Transporter films and liked them very much but this was nothing like them at all.

Mr_Vindictive · January 17, 2007, 04:59:01 PM

See, I think I was just on the same wavelength as the film. It had great music, action and the acting was pretty decent considering the source material. I need to pick up the soundtrack. Some great punk on there.

odinn7 · January 17, 2007, 07:59:19 PM

I will give you that Skaboi...the music was good.

BTM · January 17, 2007, 11:57:23 PM

Hey speaking of Crank, can someone tell me what i missed (you can message me if you don't want to spoil it here.)

Supposedly there's something after the end of the credits, but we didn't fast forward through the end to see them (was watching the film with someone else and they turned it off shortly after the "end").

Thanks!

Jordan · January 18, 2007, 01:19:25 AM

Whoops my bad Neville. Truthfully though, I don't think I really dished out any major spoilers and I'm pretty confident that no damage has been done by lil' ole me. If anything, I listed plenty of reasons for folks to see this flick.

But I will try and be more careful in the future.

Oddin, amazing how subjective we can all be towards films isn't it? But that's the beauty of it all. What a boring world it would be if we all enjoyed or disliked the same things.

And I didn't realize there was something after the credits... maybe I'll go watch "Crank" again and see what's there. Mwahahahaha!

Yaddo 42 · January 18, 2007, 06:13:02 AM

Watched it last night, and liked it for what it was, a no-brain morally irresponsible b-movie getting everything it could out of an R rating.

Made me laugh a few times, like in the Chinatown sequence. I agree it slowed down to its own detriment in the second half. The girlfriend was there for plot movement and motivation for Chev, would have liked it better if she weren't so nice and duped by his cover "life". He needed a scuzzier girl. Noticed that "forgot to take my birth control" line as well when she dropped her purse.

Overall fun flick, not perfect, but I liked it better that Snakes on a Plane which I watched the other day. It reveled in how "bad" it was just a bit more, using the corpse as a shield, been done before I know, but this was messier; and the ending made me like it even more.

BTW, the thing after the credits is a clip from faux-old school-style Crank video game, think Game Boy Color, with a heart gauge in the corner that bursts when Chev gets killed in the gunfight in the game. A nice touch actually.