Crank: High Voltage :: movie review

So Crank: High Voltage starts up just where its predecessor Crank(2006) left off, Chev Chelios' (Jason Statham) is in the end of the last film falling back to earth…so he lives. He is scraped off the street and rushed to a room with doctors would take out his heart and replace it with a plastic artificial heart that needs , you guessed it a battery to work so he spends the rest of this film chasing around after his heart and jump starting his battery. Johnny Vang (Art Hsu) is again the villain and he is the one who has the heart in an plastic 6 pack cooler which he carries around like his lunch. This movie is I thought going to be a thriller but has kind of silly in parts and Jason Statham plays the same role as always a British wise guy who can’t when he shoots a gun can’t miss. There are some very well choreographed action sequences and wild camera angles .there are some comic book like inserts that I found distracting and very un funny, if they were meant to be funny? The camera work, cinematography and lighting are top notch, and the special effects are award worthy. This story was just ok, I almost felt like it was written like ten minutes before the scenes were due to be shot. If you were looking for a believable action movie this inst it, example there is a scene were chev is about to be arrested by 6-10 cops when he is picked up on a  Vespa Scooter by Venus (Efren Ramirez),and gets away…there is an old saying you can out run the cops , but you can’t outrun a radio…

I really like the transporter series and there is a scene in transporter three were  Jason Statham is sitting in a boat with the French police chief and fishing and the acting is so well done… I guess Mr. Statham is pissed off because he was passed over to be the next James bond (007) and that’s why he made a movie like this? This film is part Pulp Fiction and part action fantasy, it had its moments and the state of the art camera work and timing make it a least watchable, if I was a little confused as to the story line sometimes. Amy Smart is hot…i think everyone feel in love with her in 2004 in The Butterfly Effect , no really she is really hot….and she is really running around half dressed add, some spice to this film. So I guess the big question is do I recommended this movie? Well ill give a go see it if you’re a fan of  Jason Statham and you like this kind of film, but you will might possibly be left at the end of the film wondering if Jason Statham giving you the finger, is because you were tricked out of your hard earned money…. 2.5 stars for non-stop action and the Cinematography...

Directed by Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Produced by Michael Paseornek, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Skip Williamson, Richard Wright, David Rubin
Written by Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Starring     Jason Statham, Amy Smart
Music by  Mike Patton
Cinematography :: Brandon Trost
Editing by     Fernando Villena
Distributed by     Lionsgate Films (US),Lakeshore Entertainment

movie review by film critic @ brickthrewglass.com Matt Willey 2009