Starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart. Written and directed by Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor. (14A) 87 min. Opens Sep 1.
Jason Statham isn't so much an actor as a graphic element. That's
why he's been Guy Ritchie's bull-necked muse (and Hollywood's go-to
Limey thug) ever since Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Statham
isn't so good with dialogue, but when it comes to the Three S's of
action-movie stardom -- staring, striding, and shooting -- he's almost
without peer.
He's thus perfect for Crank, a relentless and inventive B-movie
gloss on Rudolph Maté's 1950 noir classic D.O.A., about a man who
learns he's been poisoned and has only a day to find his killer. In
Crank, Statham's Chev Chelios knows exactly who's stuck him with a
lethal concoction: Verona (Jose Pablo Cantillo), a fellow L.A. gangster
attempting to move up the underworld ladder. The question is whether
Chev can stay alive long enough to exact a brutal revenge.
Here's the genius part: to stave off the drug's effects, Chev
has to keep the adrenaline pumping. This twist gives him carte blanche
both to exercise his sociopathic tendencies and indulge in all manner
of uptempo debauchery -- he steels his failing nervous system with Red
Bull, ephedrine and public-space sex with his only-too-happy-to-help
girlfriend (Amy Smart, game as usual). It also gives first-time
filmmakers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor an excuse to amp the mayhem,
which they do with grotty, unrepentant flair.