'Crank' and 'Crank: High Voltage' Review

I just finished watching these movies for the first time since I decided to watch movies for the artsy perspective, and god have I just learned something about cinema. My friends Chance has been urging me for weeks to watch these two films and has claimed that they are two of the greatest films of all time. I couldn't believe that two hardcore action films could possibly be anything more than purely stupid entertainment, yet Crank has made me reconsider what I look for in films.

One of the reasons that I included Kill Bill on my list for the best films of the decade was because it was disconnected from reality and truly created an entirely stylistic and uncanny universe in which anything could happen, the final fight in which The Bride fights the Crazy 88 being an original and wonderfully edited scene which instantly screws reality and features pure fantasy. I loved Kill Bill and its one of my favorite films of all time because of how it accomplished its fantasy setting while still remaining in a world that the audience can relate to.

Crank goes ahead and begins the film with the main characters imminent death, using a handheld perspective camera angle that instantly proves what you're going to be in store for: a fast paced, jolted, and mind-boggling action film. Neveldine and Taylor's camerawork throughout the entire film is fast paced and the quick cutting of the movie is stylistic and energetic. Jason Statham actually gives an uncharacterized role some depth that shows why Statham is the action star he is today.

Crank and Crank: High Voltage surpass the usual action movie cliches and eventually become their own genre entirely, which I can only describe as energetic and impossible. These films both instantly detach themselves from reality, which allows the audience to suspend their disbelief and just follow along for the ride. Scenes mesh together with an impossible urgency that is enhanced by the films usage of fast cutting and transitional titles (as well as the inclusion of Google Earth to show driving scenes) that work in an absurd, yet powerfully funny and necessary way.

The films' editing is an incredibly strong example of the art form, as it allows for seamless action transitions and creative techniques which not only show the disorientation of Statham's character, yet also find a way to mystically hold the audience through laughter, or the intriguing 'WTF?' .

I loved these films, mostly because of how Neveldine and Taylor edited and shot their film. Although to general filmgoers these films are nothing more than action movies, I believe that if someone was to look deeper into how purely enjoyable these movies are, they can find the deeper appreciation for them that my buddy Chance has helped me discover. I would love to see these director's turn to more serious work in the future, as I believe that they are definitely talented filmmakers. To be honest Crank and Crank: High Voltage are not the greatest films of all time, yet I do believe that they are a wonderful example of how editing and camerawork can make a would-be-decent film amazing. Of course, movies are just supposed to entertain the audience, and if this movie is willing to go the extra mile to be stylistic and different than the other shit on the action market, good damn job because I was certainly entertained.

To conclude this post, all I can say is fuck my inclusion of those shitty Twilight movies on my "Top Fifteen of the Decade" (more like Twi-shite, amirite?) . I still stand by my decision to include them on the list, yet swap the "Number 15" beside them to an "Honorable Mention" because there's a better deserving movie to go in its spot and it's Crank/Crank: High Voltage. The END.