Plot: What’s it about?
When I sat down and popped in “Crank” in my Blu-ray player I have to admit that I had no idea what I was about to watch. Honestly, from what I’d seen of the movie – mainly through bits and pieces of scenes here and there – it looked like a natural extension of “The Transporter” movies (both of which I’ve actually never seen). Ok, so I was wrong. As we all know, the movie stars Jason Statham who has made a name for himself as a gritty, tough as nails actor and whose credits include “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, “Snatch”, “The Italian Job” and the aforementioned “Transporter” movies. The only difference is that this time Statham didn’t have an ensemble cast to fall back on (not that he needs it) but rather “Crank” is literally action from the opening scene until the closing credits. I will say that after viewing the movie, it did remind me eerily of “Speed” in which Keanu Reeves must keep a bus above the speed of 50 else it blows up. Well, “Crank” is pretty much the same thing plus a lot more action. So if you’re into fast-paced mindless action, well my friends this one’s for you.
Statham plays Chev, a gun for hire who has recently had an attack of morals and has let one of his assignments live. This doesn’t sit too well with the powers that be and Chev awakens in a dizzied state only to find out that he’s been injected with a virus that blocks the flow of adrenaline to his heart. He’s got an hour to live unless he can keep the adrenaline pumping and therefore prolong his life. Once he finds this out, he’s on a mission to get even with his arch enemy, Verona (Jose Pablo Cantillo). Chev also enlists the help of his doctor (Dwight Yoakam) to help guide him through the ups and downs of the foreign substance in his body. Along the way, Chev also wants to save his girlfriend (Amy Smart) as he fears the end might be at hand. As Chev continues to smash cars, run through hospitals and, yes, even attempt to have sex with his girlfriend in public (to keep his adrenaline level up naturally) he gets closer to Verona. Will Chev accomplish his goal or will he stop moving long enough and let the virus get the best of him?
Video: How does it look?
“Crank” is a movie that was entirely shot on HD cameras and in many cases, mounted on a backpack to get some of the funky camera angles that they use for effect. The MPEG 2 HD transfer is literally perfect. I saw nothing wrong with this transfer in the least. The detail is razor sharp and every scene (when paused) looks like a still picture. Truly this is what they had in mind when you view a movie in HD. There are plenty of tricks used by the filmmakers to give the movie a very edgy look, but that aside – it’s one of the best transfers that I’ve seen on disc.
Audio: How does it sound?
Nearly as impressive as the picture is the audio. The PCM uncompressed audio really adds a lot of flavor and excitement to the film. The soundtrack is literally nonstop with adrenaline-pumping (get it) music and it adds a lot to the film. Dialogue is on the level as well. I found that the surrounds kicked in for some added ambiance and really didn’t stop until the final credits rolled. Also included is a Dolby Digital EX surround track.
Supplements: What are the extras?
“Crank” has a fair share of supplements as well, some of which are rather…odd but we’ll get to those in a minute. We start off with a commentary from the filmmakers who we see in the featurettes as well. I enjoyed the track, but some of the information becomes somewhat redundant when watching all of the features. One of the more odd features is that this gritty movie contains a “family friendly” version presumably when/if the movie ever airs on network television. Ok, well they may be able to take out the profanity (essentially replacing the “F” word with “Freaking”) but how about the adult situations and graphic violence? I mean this isn’t exactly you sit down with the kiddies and watch now, is it? There are also a series of featurettes showcasing the stunts, the filming and some behind the scenes footage. Some deleted scenes are also shown and I do have to mention that all of the supplements are in full HD.
