Cast: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Efren Ramirez, Bai Ling, David Carradine, Reno Wilson, Joseph Julian Soria, Dwight Yoakam; Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor; Producers: Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg, Skip Williamson, Richard S. Wright; Screenwriters: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor; Music: Mike Patton; Editor: Marc Jakubowicz, Fernando Villena; Genre: Action/ Adventure; Cinematography: Brandon Trost; Distributor: Lionsgate; Location: US; Running Time: 85 min.;Technical Assessment: 2
Moral Assessment: 1
CINEMA Rating: For mature viewers 18 and above
In Crank's prequel, Chev Chelios (Statham), the unstoppable hitman, survives a freefall from a helicopter. Now, he is kidnapped by some Asian gangsters who want to take his vital organs. His heart is replaced with a plastic, battery-powered machine. After three months, Chelios wakes up and upon learning that they’re taking away his other organs, he escapes. He soon learns he must keep the batteries managing his artificial heart charged while Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam) tries to figure out a way to put the real one back in. Desperate to find his literally stolen heart, Chelios searches Los Angeles, running into old girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart), insane prostitute Ria (Bai Ling), and various criminal types. All clues and paths lead to a Chinese gang leader named Poon Dong (David Carradine). Chelios must get his heart from Dong before the battery of his artificial heart runs out of power.
This second installment (hopefully the last) of Crank series has nothing new to offer but its usual lousy filmmaking they call non-conventional and postmodern, trash aesthetics. Surely all these are but excuses and cover-ups for an otherwise sloppy and slapstick comedic style of storytelling. The post-structural combination of cartoons and live action could’ve been promising but the shallow premise, with all its shock value, just does not work to create an impressive and compelling movie. Crank High Voltage may be a real parody that should not be taken seriously; however, as with any other films of the same genre, there must be a real message intended for the audience to learn, or to be enlightened or inspired by. Unfortunately, Crank High Voltage does not in any way achieve any of these. Even the entertainment value of the film falls flat in most scenes.
The entire premise of Crank High Voltage is an absurd and lewd depiction of underground city living. The ultra realistic violence, lots of nudity and profanities, and stereotypical portrayals of Asians which are all out of context make the film morally abhorrent. Chelios’ fight for life could’ve been commendable but his very character and means of getting back his vital organ and thus, getting back at all his enemies, is beyond human forgiveness. The film has no saving grace. It tells the audience how dark and bad the world has become with the advent of technology. No single character or incident in the film portrays goodness. Each scene or character is maliciously done to tickle the audience’s wild and naughty imagination. The blood and gore in the film’s many scenes coupled with racial discrimination, outright disrespect for elders and authorities, and tolerance of scandalous behavior are totally disgusting, not to mention silly and depressing. CINEMA finds the movie appropriate for mature audience only.
