Crank: High Voltage (2009) User Reviews (270)

Where Is My Strawberry Tart?

[DelBongo · 7/10 · 17 April 2009]

Crank 2: High Voltage practically begs to be passionately loathed by absolutely everyone, with the notable exception of antisocial teenage boys. Its rank, nihilistic tone is relentless and exhausting. The misogyny is benchmark horrendous. The acts of violence are brutal, frequent and often blatantly homoerotic. Its flippant. Its homophobic. Its vulgar. And it feels as much seething contempt for its own narrative coherence as it does for its few prominent female characters.

But there is something bracingly brilliant about it. Films this fearlessly unhinged simply do not get made any more, and thirty years ago this would've played, late at night, to packed houses for years on end, perhaps aptly bundled with the likes of John Water's Pink Flamingoes.

One fact that was suggested by the first Crank is set heroically in stone barely five minutes into its sequel - that directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor appear to be completely obsessed with pornography. There is a truly jaw-dropping amount of flesh on constant display, and the film's only female speaking parts belong to a prostitute and a stripper. This lends the film an air of uncomfortable, almost lavatorial sleaziness, until a bunch of actual porn stars turn up in the middle of a scene, starring as a bunch of disgruntled porn stars striking for better pay. Although it hardly passes as satire, it does seem like a sly dig in the direction of the producers that populate the Hollywood mainstream, who'd surely relish the opportunity to make films like this if only the bastard machine would let them. Balls-out exploitation it may be, but if any film lives up to cinema's ancient adage of providing its audience with relentless sex and violence, its this one.

The second half of the film is where it really flies, and chooses to disregard not only its own plot, but any care for the patience or expectations of its audience. It goes, essentially, mad. And for something that was clearly deranged in the first place, it'd be foolish for me not to offer up the only advice that will enable you to see exactly what I mean.

Go and see it.

Extremely intelligent mindless action flick

[nerdomatic10-937-667230 · 7/10 · 6 April 2012]

Quite possibly the silliest movie ever made. I'm pretty sure these guys set out to make the ultimate mindless action flick and they succeeded brilliantly IMO. I've never seen anything like it before. IMDb claims the budget was $20M, although that seems like quite a stretch. But there is about $1B worth of craziness in it. The makers didn't hold anything back - no restraint whatsoever and it's amazing. Anyone looking to be offended will be. Guaranteed. I've heard of people walking out of movies but this is the first time I ever saw it happen. I wonder if they asked for their $$$ back. I'm pretty sure the theaters are covered from giving refunds; there's fine print on the tix or something.

Anyway, the opening credits are in video game form, which I now realize was a signal. Viewers need to forget reality, not just suspend disbelief in that routine movie kind of way. These guys throw everything they can think of up on the screen and I kept wondering what drugs they were using during filming. Maybe all of them. Also, there's something to irritate everybody. I really mean that; I don't think any insult or stereotype or slur was left out. Nothing offensive was held back that I could notice, although I've led a sheltered life.

Now here's the switch: it's hilarious and I mean laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish. I saw scenes I never saw before or ever expected to see. It starts out so unbelievably crazy that it's actually shocking (sorry) and then just keeps it up and keeps it going for the entire flick. Dark Chocolate's elaborate eye-roll sequence is one for the ages and is worth the price of admission all by itself.

Here's how funny it is: SpikeTV showed it and of course had to make countless cuts: not just the copious female nudity but the language and graphic violence and so on. Anyway, with all that gone it was still incredibly funny and astounding and just totally insane. The ending was a set-up for a sequel, same way the first "Crank" was, but I honestly don't see how they can top this one. Maybe I'm wrong; I sure hope so but it seems to me that they deliberately made it as wild as possible and didn't hold anything back.

One last word: it's not for everyone. I promise you'll either absolutely love it or thoroughly despise it. There will be no in-between for this one.

Crank 2 Is Off The Wall Insanity.

[Matt_Layden · 6/10 · 15 June 2010]

After surviving a fall from a helicopter, Chev Chelios is kidnapped directly from the spot he landed in and is taken to a place where they remove his heart. He is given an artificial one that requires an electrical charge to keep running, every hour or so. Now Chelios is on the run trying to find his old heart and to keep charged.

I had an appreciation for the first Crank, it was a live action Grand Theft Auto. Creating as much chaos as possible within the running time. It ended perfectly, with his death. Crank 2 comes around and ruins that. At least, for my own sanity, right from the beginning they have a telecaster look directly to the viewer and tell them how implausible all of this is. Could this be the writers and directors telling the audience that this was a studio decision?

Crank 2 doesn't hold any punches, it goes all out and doesn't stop. It somehow finds a way to be even more chaotic than the original, but it sacrifices any kind of logical straight forward story. The first, even though it was far fetched, seemed like it might possibly happen. Crank 2 doesn't seem to be based in any kind of reality. I do still like the city and world these characters live in. It's just like a video game/comic book come to life.

Statham once again shows us why he is the new face of the action genre. The Rock has moved on to Disney family films and Statham continues to be in films that he knows his fans will love. Crank 2 is violent and obscene. Just like it wants to be, Chelios is a despicable character, just like he wants to be. Statham plays the role with a bit of charm that makes him likable. Amy smart is here again, but she seems even more useless now than before. Was her purpose in this one just to re-enact the famous sex in public scene from original?

The Crank films are without a doubt a guys film. Crank 2 even more so. Sex, violence, harsh language and insane sequences like a shotgun shoved up a guy's ass or two characters transforming into Godzilla like creatures, it's something that requires a viewer to leave their brain not only at the door, but at the door of another house. The comedy is unique and in your face, it doesn't hold back with any subject matter. It's degrading to women and homosexuals and maybe even intellectuals. If you liked the first Crank, you'll like this one.

For what it is worth, I dug the craziness of the film. The style it was shot in was fast and dirty, that reflects the story and the characters in it. I can see a third film coming out, just wondering what they plan on doing with it makes my head hurt though.

It's beyond exaggeration

[SebaZava · 6/10 · 20 September 2009]

Crank: High Voltage is one of the most insane, hyper-active, over-the-top, frenetic and crazy motion pictures I have ever seen. It is a video game with flesh-and-blood actors, a cartoon come alive. It is so over-the-top in fact, even more so than its predecessor, that it threatens to abandon Earth and exist in a totally different plane. You either like it or don't like it - I can see a lot of people being offended by the film, and that's not only because of its violent nature. There is everything - violence, sex, nudity, gore, language, crazy dialogue... it is not a movie for everyone. Me? I guess I liked it, - not as much as the first installment, mind you - but I think it was sometimes was too much. A film this crazy can eventually tire the viewer - it's no wonder, therefore, that it's a mere 85 minutes long.

Neveldine and Taylor's aim is simple enough: to make the movie as crazy and over-the-top as possible, inserting as many visual flourishes and unpredictable scenes as they can. Surprisingly enough, they succeed at this without making the movie too unbearable. Granted, the fact that all the action sequences are exaggeratedly hyper-kinetic and stylish means that they aren't particularly exciting, but at least they are amusing and outrageous, which means they entertaining in a totally different way from other action flicks. Most (if not all) of the film has been created in the cutting room floor, using quick cuts, shaky camera-work, subtitles, fantasy scenes featuring deformed, Godzilla-like versions of Chev and one of the bad guys, topless girls with guns, newscast segments, and more. It's all exaggerated and it doesn't make an ounce of sense, but it entertains in a very visceral and mindless way.

As usual, Jason Statham plays the straight guy very well. Despite all the craziness and confusion, he never seems lost or out-of-place which, all things considered, is quite an accomplishment. Amy Smart is also back from the previous movie - this time she has become a stripper - and plays her gratuitous, thankless role with gusto. As in the first installment, Chev and Eve engage in a public sex scene - this time in a horserace track. The rest of the performers don't appear for more than a handful of scenes, the only real standout being Bai Ling, not because she's good, but because even in a movie this over-the-top, she manages to give an irritatingly crazy performance. (If what she does can be called a "performance".) Her character is bothersome, annoying, and has definitely been given too much screen time. If a Crank 3 is ever made, she shouldn't return.

What else can be said about High Voltage? It's as cartoonish and unbelievable as these kinds of movies come, and I really can't see a way for Neveldine and Taylor to top themselves if a second sequel is ever made. Still, despite all its outrageousness, the film manages to entertain without feeling too vacuous although, admittedly, it is. It definitely is not high art, and the moment the end credits started to roll - after a very sudden and "wtf?" kind of ending - I felt somehow hollow, still trying to process what I had just seen. Was it a film, or a live-action video game? There is barely a plot, characters are ridiculously paper thin and secondary actors are either wasted - the late David Carradine - or used too much - Bai Ling. Crank 2 is by no means a good film in the traditional sense of the word, but since its relentlessness, humour and overall willingness to stretch the envelope as far as it can never bored me or offended me, then yes, I can recommend it. Not to everyone, mind you, but for those who think they can take this much insanity.

where's the heart.... I don't mean the movie, I mean the actual heart?

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 16 April 2009]

For those of us that saw the first movie Crank it seemed open and shut - a retooling of D.O.A. and Speed to combine a exploitation-action-comedy that had Jason Statham gunning after the dirty folks who slipped him a irreversible Chinese poison that would kill him immediately unless he kept his heart racing like a coke-driven locomotive. At the end it seemed especially the case since, well, Chev Chelios falls out of a helicopter and crashes on a car. Dead? Actually no, as case turns out to be.

Let's face it - with Crank you already had to suspend disbelief, but with Crank: High Voltage you'll need to put your disbelief in a microwave and cook until it's about ready to jump out and kick the ever-loving s*** out of you. This movie not only doesn't follow logic or laws of physics or biology, it flips the finger and goes along on its way like the best video game your friend ever got that he wont let you play.

But hell, why bother playing when watching it may be even more fun? Chev Chelios- who three months after we last saw him has been given a "fake" heart with a kind of electrical system (think of a ghetto version of that thing Tony Stark has as Iron Man) after some Chinese dudes took out his heart- goes on rampages, when properly given the quality electroshock of course, like he's the energizer bunny criss-crossed with... hmm, the most psychotic hell-bent killer one's ever seen outside of the dirtiest and most ultra-violent exploitation flicks ever? Even more to face it, at this point Chev Chelios would make Charles Bronson have second thoughts about that sock-o-quarters.

To say that this is a "better" movie than the first one would not be correct. It's simply not. The first had a clearer story, and didn't try to add "depth" like flashing back to Chev's childhood memory of being on a talk-show as an already ultra-violent hoodlum kid with a talk-back mouth (still a very funny scene, but besides the point). What Crank: High Voltage has, and this is in barrels and barrels like an outhouse at a circus, is crazy, LOTS and LOTS of craziness. This had me, and at least a good lot of others at the midnight screening I went to, howling with laughter. What else can you do as they actually TOP the in-public rampage-of-sex scene between Statham and Amy Smart as they get it on (because, apparently, skin friction creates energy doncha know?) in front of a full crowd at a race track? Or what about the incredibly stream-of-consciousness cut-aways to the F-you-Chev-Chelios texts scrolling across the screen?

Best of all, or just so bats*** mad of all that you will be hitting yourself across the head with a hammer to make sure you're not seeing things, are new casting choices. One, Clifton Collins Jr, is a nice little touch where he gets to basically go all out- and I do mean ALL out, handlebar mustache included- after playing low-key character parts for years. The other will keep genre fans talking for weeks: David Carradine, that's right, David "Bill" Carradine, is in the movie as the 100 year old gangster who is barely on life support and is given his last chance at life - thanks to Chev Chelios' Chinese-poison-resistant heart. Compared to Carradine's "how-the-hell-did-they-get-him" casting, Bai Ling is just a natural choice as a relentlessly obnoxious Ho' who keeps following Chelios as he's "her Kevin Costner." Did I mention the brother of the uh, Efren Ramirez's character from the first film, is back as a gay turret's-body sufferer?

Add on to this Jason Statham's go for broke attitude with the whole shebang, and the fact that the filmmakers behind this film (as well as the first one) will go to the most extreme lengths to make the most hardened action film and Grindhouse geeks drooling and jaws agape many times over, and you've got yourself a completely, joyously Gonzo piece of HARD-R-rated American cinema. Don't go to see it because it might give a "message". See it because it's Jason Statham rampaging- at one point he turns into Godzilla at a power plant fighting a goon- all the way to the last moment... and yes, there will be a sequel! Maybe...

Nude, crude, profane, funny and non-stop, over-the-top action.

[TxMike · 30 October 2009]

I generally find loud, crude movies with pervasive filthy language very unentertaining. But this one is so funny, and so over-the-top, that it is hard to dislike it. I found myself marveling at the creativity of the writers and directors to find new and interesting ways to move the story forward.

Jason Statham is back again as Chev Chelios. At the end of "Crank" we saw him fall from a helicopter, onto a car, and bounce onto the street. In a fall that would have killed most merely mortal men, but we see an eye open as the movie ends.

Crank 2 starts exactly where the other one left off. We see a bunch of men scoop Chelios up and drive away with him before even the cops have a chance to figure out what is happening. Then Chelios finds himself in a makeshift operating room, they have just removed his heart and installed a mechanical heart with an external power supply. But why didn't they just let him die? Because someone (from the first movie) really wants to personally see him suffer and die.

So most of the movie has Chelios hunting down the person he believes has his heart in a small ice chest. When the battery runs down, he has to find unique ways to get a "charge" back, and some of them are very "electrifying"! But since he doesn't have a heart, he can take it.

Amy Smart is back as his girlfriend Eve Lydon. In the first movie they had to have sex on the street right in front of a crowd so that his adrenaline would keep flowing to ward off the Chinese poison that had been injected into him. In this movie he has to create some static electricity to keep his mechanical heart going, so they end up having sex on a track while a horse race is going on. While that sounds in very poor taste to think about it, in context of the movie it is a very funny scene.

Dwight Yoakam is also back, as Doc Miles who will try to re-implant Chelios' heart, if he can find it. Over-the-top and very funny is Ling Bai as Ria, chasing after "her man" Chelios. And, a key character is now-deceased David Carradine as the old Chinese Poon Dong.

I found the movie very entertaining, in a totally absurd way.

High voltage is an understatement.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 8 September 2009]

Frantic and explosive. High octane action as the manic hit-man Chev Chelios(Jason Stratham)basically picks up where he left off the first time, but this time out he is chasing a Chinese gangster, who has hijacked his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered artificial one. The deeper Chelios gets into the challenge of finding his heart, he discovers it is in the chest of a 100 yr old gang patriarch Poon Dong(David Carradine). Chev's girlfriend Eve(Amy Smart)is part of the action...and I do mean action; sex in motion. For moral support, his physician Doc Miles(Dwight Yoakam)is always a phone call away with advice on how to keep the plastic heart pumping to keep the mean caffeinated fighting machine running. Getting in on the real rough stuff are Mexican mobsters, boycotting porn stars, strippers with automatic weapons and even the LAPD.

Again not meant for the younger viewers due to very strong language, explicit sexual content and heavy violence. Some scenes are nauseating and others down right hilarious. Also starring: Clifton Collins Jr., Reno Wilson, Joseph Julian Soria and Art Hsu.

Total and utter rubbish

[madmarek · 1/10 · 18 April 2009]

It was funny, but essential a big pile of steaming pap compared to Crank. There's spoilers in this but really, this movie can't be spoiled.

The first one managed to take an insane concept and turn it into an enjoyable, over-the-top action movie which would have had Quentin Tarrintino enjoying his QT pants! I love the first one, quirky, does not take itself seriously at all yet you got this sense of danger from Jason's character which kept the pace going nicely and had you on the edge of your seat. Yes it had fast in-your-face editing but it worked for the most part and wasn't done too much.

Now comes the sequel. You can tell at the beginning when they have Q from Star Trek reading the news like a public broadcaster who really doesn't give a hoot anymore this has gone from any semblance of fun to total and utter spoof with no respect for the original material or the audience.

I suppose they had no other way to go after dropping the main character from a helicopter and replacing his heart (which was supposed to be full of a virus and only kept alive because of the vast quantities of adrenaline he pumped into it BTW) with a bionic one.

This my friends is not a Jason Strathern action movie it's a Jason Voorhees one. He's indestructible now. Nothing so much as hurts him. He can drop out of the sky, crash a car and go through the windshield, have multiple cops beating him up, be tortured, sustain numerous massive electric shocks, catch fire. Apart from saying ouch and 'oh dear' he never gets more than cuts or bruises. Gone is the sense of danger, you never feel he's going to have trouble in any scene.

Instead we have numerous chasing and fight scenes and lots of boobies, which I must admit I liked, but unlike the first movie I really don't feel compelled to ever watch this one again because that is essentially the plot. Jason get's a bionic heart, then goes after his old one even though the entire first movie was about him having about an hour to live as his heart was full of a virus...one which was never cured BTW and he got a second dose towards the end. I know I'm a stickler for this point but personally I hate Hollywood shoving a "You are too stupid for me to even be bothered" sign in my face, The editing is done by a Mexican on acid who's ticked off MTC doesn't do music videos any more as he tries his best to do every music video ever made in the movie. It's like he can't do a single straight shot! Ever single angle and frame has to be Com{let LY!!! BonKers!! loll look at me I'm creative and special eleventy1'11! There's even a point where they turn into Godzilla monsters! And once you get over that they have a head in water which is still alive!! Yeah of course spoilers...sorry. Please black out the words which will spoil the enjoyment of this movie.

If this had been part of a trash spoof franchise like the endless Scary Movie/Epic movies etc then at least people could have hired this out at home and injected their heads with glue beforehand to prepare. I could even understand if the first one was as insane as this, if it was like Evil Dead 2 or something but unfortunately the original set a standard and as silly as the standard was the sequel washes all over it and drops a big plop on the audience expecting them to chew it all up and say, "Thank you sir, may I have another?" Total and utter rubbish. I give it two thumbs inverted in some cat's private bits.

In short, I liked it.

[terrencepatrix · 8/10 · 18 April 2009]

Let me start off by defending my rating of this title. Really it's hard for me to rate a movie like this, it is directed right at me and my type of people. I can't help it that I like a movie like this, it's just the way it is.

Really this movie is a grind house movie in an era where grind house movies don't exist. It has everything that is unacceptable as entertainment in other movies...and yet you can't stop watching. It's for the most part, balls to the walls, insanity. It doesn't make sense. The reason I don't' mind...is that it's not trying to. It knows it's stupid and crazy. And it loves it. It's not trying to impress you. This is a movie that really took control of itself. Typically you'll have a movie with an a-b formula...this is a a-z formula with complete insanity and randomness filling in the interval. You know where the movie is going as soon as you start watching it, it's the ride that excites and keeps you watching.

In short, this movie has violence, action, nudity, homosexuality, disabilities, public indecency and racism. And I have to admit, I liked it.

The one problem I had with this movie is it started so crazy and hilarious that it kind of peaked in the middle. It was just so much that the rest didn't surprise you anymore. I still found it very enjoyable though, and would definitely add it to my collection.

Also I know this review sucks, but this movie is hard to give a serious review to. If you like movies that play out like a GTA video game mixed with a violent Japanese film...then watch it. Just have fun with it.

Good, But Not Great!

[g-bodyl · 7/10 · 12 January 2011]

I don't know why they had to make Crank 2. I think Crank was good enough on it's own. When I saw that this was coming out, I had no intentions to see it. Well obviously I did see it because I'm writing a review. This is actually not bad. It's not great either but this is a good B-movie.

This movie takes off right where the first one ended. Chev Chelios gets taken away and his heart removed. It was replaced with an artificial heart. Now Chev's mission is to get his heart back or else he will die.

The acting is not too bad. Jason Statham kicks butt like he does in every movie. Amy Smart is still pretty. I thought casting that Chinese guy was dumb because I think he has mentally ill problems and he annoyed me.

This movie kind of seems like a video game. I guess that's good in a way. I really liked the action though. I rate this film 7/10.

Everything that's wrong with media today

[elinoreeaton · 2/10 · 27 May 2009]

I almost walked out. (I watched others walk out.)

Now, you gotta understand that I am not one to walk out of a movie. Ever. Although, I was extremely compelled to get out of my seat many times throughout the Crank: High Voltage and felt somewhat gross for staying, I persevered. I figure I really can't complain about a movie unless I give it a full chance and watch it from beginning to end.

I was really looking forward to a fun-filled action ride, going to this movie. I love the Tarantino films, the Guy Ritchie movies, the gratuitous special effects shows and extreme camera angles and stylings. Agreed, there are some pretty impressive visuals and high speed action. That's where the fun ends. It's what's going on within all these visuals and action that's quite disturbing.

The rant: I don't know if the theatre I was in had their volume turned up and extra notch or if this movie has it's levels higher than it should, but I was glad I had my headphones with me, so I could stick them in my ears while I watched. Otherwise, my ears would be ringing and in pain today. It makes sense that Crank would have it's levels higher because this is in keeping with the commercials on television (a little louder than everything else and definitely louder than necessary), especially since the movie seemed like one big commercial for sexism, violence, poor taste, and sensationalism.

From cutting own's own nipples off to cutting another's elbows off and calling it "sushi", from shoving rifles covered in tar up asses to obliterating someone's face with a 6-pack cooler, I've seen some hard-core films with insane violence in it, but Crank doesn't care. It jumps from one sensational image to the next, a big fricken festival and no one seems to give a second glance or asks "why". The violence really doesn't matter, it just keeps happening, almost without reason or result. You want a little overstimulation with your violence? How bout extreme close-ups, fast-paced rhythm editing, and gratuitous "which indie film camera trick have we not used, cuz I wanna make sure and use them all?"

Okay, okay, the number of close-up crotch, tits, and ass shots is quite impressive as well. I've never seen so many shots of impressively focused angles on butt flesh in all it's forms. You can see every dimple and peach fuzz hair on the hundreds of girls' featured butts (and man ass too). And it's not enough to just focus in, they somehow managed to get all of their actresses to spread their legs or bend over to get that nice "up in between the legs" shot. Not once, not twice, over and over, the whole film seemed a montage of sluts parading behind gunfire and commercialism. Even the sex scene on the horse track; it was like "I get it, I get it, funny, ha ha" and then it just kept going and going, going from bad to just stupid.

Which brings me to the real trouble with this flick, it is everything wrong with the media today, yelling and screaming at you with disregard to taste or creativity or narrative (speaking of which, it is quite clear they really don't care whether or not you know what's going on or if there is a story to all the madness) in a big shiny box with sparkles, ribbons, bows, glitter, and and... They took EVERYTHING cool in action movies and indie films and whatnot and smashed it together and got a clown in a car salesman suit to hit you over the head with it while screaming death metal songs in your ear. (I LOVE Jason Statham, I don't think of him as the clown in the least. Loved watching him, just disappointed with the packaging.) Removed the class, cut the taste. They stole the appearance of creativity and "cool" the way an ad agency steals a great photo on Flickr and sells millions of dollars worth of shampoo with it after a nice Photoshop job. It did have the pacing of a commercial or MTV video and I kinda felt like I was watching one long, loud, bad, commercial for sexism and violence and "don't give a f*ck".

Just ugly.

It makes me really disappointed with the direction of the media today. I was disappointed when I came to IMDb and saw what high ratings it got. I know people love this film and I can see why. I guess that's the sad part.

Absolutely Extreme

[phue_fighter · 8/10 · 16 April 2009]

This movie is not for the faint of heart.

If you've watched the first Crank and enjoyed it, you will absolutely love this one. It pushes the boundaries the first one set to the absolute maximum. There are no lines this film does not cross, from outrageous public sex scenes to gore that almost rivals the Saw franchise. It will keep your heart pounding for the entire film's duration. It's one of the most hilarious, stylish and down-right insane films I have ever watched.

If you haven't watched the first Crank, I recommend watching it before you even think of watching this film. It'll give you some good background story and also prepare you for what you are about to see.

If you saw the first Crank and didn't like it... do not watch this movie. Multiply Crank by 1000 volts and you get this incredible sequel.

The Crank franchise is an acquired taste, and this stretches it even for fans.

Response to "Totally Waste of Time" by Marko

[joseph-jenkins284 · 7/10 · 1 November 2009]

This review is on the movie itself, and a rebuttal to IMDb.com member, Marko's review. Marko does make some good points on how the movie is quite action packed, maybe even to the point of boring. If there were a few more explosions, this movie could quite possibly be confused with a typical Michael Bay movie. However, Marko makes a claim that only 18 years old and under will appreciate this movie because it reminds them of a video game. "I can't believe that so many people gave this film 10, they are mostly very young, under 18 so I understand them, but if I want a video game, I play video game, not watch movie that looks like one. From me 1/10." (quoted from Marko's review). I have a problem with those that say something is "bad" because it's for children (< 18 years old), but the way the write it makes them appear to be 12 years old. Grammar is a dead giveaway as to one's maturity and ability to make rational judgements. If you're lacking the ability to make one, then stay away from reviewing movies that you are probably not even old enough to be watching. That being said, I give this movie a 7/10. It's not great by any means, but that's the point. That's all I'm saying.

This movie bites the big one!

[Renestl · 1/10 · 24 December 2009]

Dear Director of Crank 2, You suck. Why did you make this movie!?! If I had paid to go see this movie I'd be in Hollywood kicking your ass right now. Why make my man, Jason Statham, look like a complete idiot? To make Jason run around for 2 hrs looking for his own heart was really stupid. The man was already dead, you should have left him that way! And to resurrect two people, no less, that is to say Kaylo as his own full body turrets brother was really idiotic. The whole plot, including Jason burning at the end, made me throw up. Don't do it again! Yo momma!

Signed, A Disgruntled former patron of your movies!

It's good movie to watch

[0U · 23 February 2020]

A pretty violent film with not much of a storyline, apart from a heart. The whole film was basically clips of action sequences which didn't add anything to the film apart from some of the 'better' scenes. It was all over the top and exaggerated to the max, with preposterous action scenes where he was not harmed at all, to loony jumping off buildings. It wasn't one of Jason's best films.

Decent, but goes overboard half way through.

[fukavla · 6/10 · 17 April 2009]

Being a fan of crank 1, I was excited for this. The movie started out great, and half way through I actually thought it surpassed the first. But the "videogame'ish" effects became abused and stale.

I enjoyed the filming aspect, with a large use of fisheye lenses and digital effects layering over the raw footage. It has a unique look and feel compared to other action flicks.

The movie became stale sooner that I was hoping. And the ending, well don't get me started.

I'll give it a 6 since it's much better than some movie's that hit the screen... but even a 6 is pushing it. Hold off on this one until you can rent it for $4.00 on DVD/blu-ray.

*SPOILER ALERT* The scene where chev turns into a godzilla type human monster took the whole effect WAY to far, and from that point I lost interest in the film.

I think I used "FUN" too many times!!!

[paramount-services · 7/10 · 20 April 2009]

First off, this film is basically dumb fun. Not taking anything away from it or those involved in it, but it is at times ridiculously dumb, equally fun and one hell of a ride.

Jason Statham is great once again as his second time portraying Chev Chelios, now an ex hit man in search of his stolen heart. It sounds crazy, but it is crazy fun! Amy Smart is great as Chev's girlfriend and you better believe there's another public sex scene in this! Great cameo by Corey Haim who plays a mullet-wearing pimp. Dwight Yoakum is funny as hell too. But! Clifton Collins Jr. steals the show in this one as El Huron. He is absolutely brilliant in every role I've seen him in and this role is no exception. His Mexican accent, his handlebar mustache, his cowboy boots...I could go on all day.

The film has some oddities, for example a King Kong type fight sequence, a "F**K YOU CHEV CHELIOS" montage and an interesting flash back of Chev as a kid. It's all OK though, because this type of film can get away with it...it's chaos unfolding in front of your eyes. Very fun chaos. The flashback scene was a bit much and no need to develop Chev's character any further than it has already, we get the point, he's a bad ass and always has been that way. Other than the flashback scene, this film will take you on a thrill ride across Los Angeles, dealing with Mexican gangsters, Chinese Triad Mafia, random old ladies, a porn industry strike and Kaylo's twin brother Venus looking to avenge his brother's murder.

This film breaks rules. This film hits hard. This film is extremely fast. And this film is hilariously action-packed. This film is for anyone who wants to have fun and laugh for an hour and a half. Absolutely brainless, but it's fun as hell. Have fun!

Pain Relief

[yareyous · 6/10 · 15 November 2019]

A couple of weeks ago I slammed a car door on my left index finger. It hurt like hell and I had to the go the hospital. After the doctor bandaged it and put it on a splint he told me to go home and rest. I decided to watch this movie because I though seeing Jason Statham in pain would help take my mind off the pain. This movie was effective for that.

Hilariously awful

[starkadderstation · 1/10 · 27 September 2010]

This has to be one of the most ridiculous films ever made. I believe it's worse than "Plan9"-style cheap exploitation films because there are real actors and a reasonable budget behind this load of total rubbish.

It's badly acted and badly edited with infantile attempts at manga-style imagery. This turkey has everything. The script alone would make weapon- grade lavatory paper. And all with the fabulous knowledge that it's also a sequel.

And yes, I did see the first one. Better by comparison but that says nothing.

Jason Statham would do well to revise his resume and pretend that this little stinker didn't exist. Or say that they used a body-double and didn't tell him they were making it.

"Crank: High Voltage" is one of the most over-the-top and ridiculously entertaining films of the past 10 years! It's an adult version of "Looney Toons" and a worthy sequel!

[TedStixonAKAMaximumMadness · 8/10 · 18 April 2009]

Chev Chelios was dead, but he got better.

Jason Statham returns as the lead in "Crank: High Voltage", and in every way this sequel breaks the rules and pushes the bar to insane new levels, sometimes even a bit too far.

Three months after his "helicopter incident", Chelios awakens to see that Chinese black-market surgeons are slicing his famed "Chelios Heart" out (made famous by the fact that it kept beating after the events of the first film), and replacing it with a surrogate artificial heart, so they can keep him alive while they farm more of his organs.

Chelios escapes and discovers he has a whole new set of problems- his heart is connected to an external battery pack. When this battery pack runs out of juice, he only has one hour before his artificial heart stops and he dies. And of course one of the first things that happens is that his battery pack is smashed! Now Chelios has to keep his artificial heart beating with regular volts of electricity to recharge it, using anything he can- car power outlets, jumper cables, power stations, stun-guns- whatever he can get his hands on.

His goal- track down psychotic criminal Johnny Vang, who is seemingly parading around Chelios's heart in a miniature cooler, and get it back, so old friend and medical expert Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam in a returning role as the man who lets the audience know exactly what's going on) can put it back in.

Chelios is also being tracked by sadistic criminals sent by "El Huron", a crime lord who has some devious connections to Chelios and his past actions.

This film has a very convoluted plot, but like the first one, it works out rather well. One particular thing I enjoyed is that we spend a little more time with subsequent and secondary characters, like Chev's girlfriend Eve (the sexy Amy Smart), Venus (Efron Ramirez portraying the brother to his slain character Laylo from the first film), and other characters that come up. It just adds to the plot, and gives it more reality, in contrast to the literal circus of Mayhem that Mr. Chev Chelios is stirring up.

Speaking of returning characters, this film certainly has a lot of cameos from characters from movie number one, which was a delight for me as a fan. Fans of the first "Crank", you'll definitely get a kick out of some of the cameos in this entry.

Now, onto the psychotic weirdness of the film. If you've seen the first film, you'll know it used strange tactics, like subtitles, graphics, and nightmarish imagery to put you inside of the heads of the characters. This film expands on that, by using and abusing subtitles, insane graphics, medical films, and more on a fairly regular basis. We even get a hilarious pseudo-flashback of sorts, and it is one of the most abrupt and brilliant segues I've ever seen to bridge two scenes.

And on that note, I should mention that this film does play for laughs a lot more than the first film. In fact, there are scenes specifically written to play for laughs more than for actions. As a fan, that may sound disheartening (sorry, had to make a heart pun), but trust me, it works. The film definitely teeters on self-satire at times (including a uproariously funny line of dialog where Eve swipes at fans who would call Chev surviving the first film "impossible"), but it keeps it's balance and lets us know that its not taking itself too seriously, so the comedy fits right in.

Writers/Directors Neveldine / Taylor also step the visuals up a notch. While not as haggard visually as the first film, this follow-up does have some pretty visuals, and is better-directed in terms of camera placement and editing in my opinion, and it fits right in with the first one. Their script is also to be commended for being so bold, with bizarre characters (I didn't even mention David Carradine going all "Charlie Chan"!), insane story lines, and one of the most over-the-top and unexpected finales I've seen in a long time. This isn't just an action movie, it's Looney Toons for grown-ups! It's the action equivalent of what "Evil Dead II" was to horror! It's brilliant in it's execution and definitely a step in the right direction for a sequel to "Crank"- not too serious.

This film literally left me in awe with its lunacy and action. If you loved the first film, then there's almost no way you won't love this entry.

I give "Crank: High Voltage" an 8 out of 10, because like the first film, it's the ultimate rush, and now it's even the ultimate source for laughs! Give this one a shot, you'll love it!

Even crazier than the first

[thewalkingpuns · 7/10 · 27 January 2023]

Wow this movie was a ride. It was so strange and so many things were happening all at once. Stathan is back as chev and the movie starts how the first ended, with him somehow surviving the crash on the car and now waking up after his heart is taken out and replaced by a fake that needs to keep being poured. What results is another chaotic ride through the streets of la as chev gets back at those responsible for leaving him in the new mess. Also back is amy smart as eve who have a welcoming at the horse track . Theres loads of blood pumping action and a great sequal overall with a good cast and statham just being a bad ass as usural.

Terrible, Awful, Horrible

[psheehanuk · 1/10 · 20 April 2009]

I really enjoyed Crank 1. Despite being a bit over the top, the story was pretty solid and the pace was excellent. Crank 2 is one of the worst films I've seen in a long time. The story is terrible, the acting is awful, and even the action is lame. There's one scene where they don't even fight and replace it with some kind of dodgy animation. Very poor indeed. It looks as if it were written by a chimp and a porn star - no brain power required There are some funny moments, but not enough to redeem this film. What's next, Crank 3 where he's dressed as a mummy (you'll understand). Only a idiot would like this film. Seems to be plenty of them out there. There are thousands of good scripts out there, so why did they make this in to a film. Shame on Hollywood!

Insane Movie

[bundyboy_4 · 10/10 · 18 April 2009]

This is without a doubt one of the most insane films I have ever seen. I loved the first film and have been looking forward to the sequel. This one blows the mad-o-meter off the chart. I read on here somewhere Jason Statham was quoted saying something like…. "You ain't ever gonna get an Academy Award for doing Crank" Well I beg to differ; I think an award category should be created for making a film like this. It has similarities to the first film of course but that's what makes this film so enjoyable. Jason is superb as Chev Chelios again and had me laughing my ass off with his cockney slang and his superb stunts. One thing I will say, I took my wife with me to see this and all the way through the film she had that "Could this get anymore ridiculous" look on her face. Meanwhile I couldn't stop laughing at the fact that the more outrageous this film got, the more I found myself loving it. You know when they say "A roller-coaster ride of a movie". Well on this roller-coaster ride you ain't strapped into your seat, it has dozens of loops and it's faster than anything you have ridden in your life. You need to see this film. In fact scrub that, I will say this…Crank 2 falls into the "Things to do before you die" category. Go and see this now.

Not Sure Why I Watched It But I Liked It

[tkdlifemagazine · 7/10 · 17 September 2023]

This sequel to a very stupid yet lovable action film is also stupid, less original, but better. When a person clearly dies at the end of the movie it usually is the end of the character. Not in this case. The story starts with him dead and continues the same them through a different premise that plays out in a similar pattern to the first. While it is similar to the first film, the execution is better. IT is filmed better. The action and cinematography are better. The humor is elevated and it seems to understand how stupid it is. Dwight Yokam, like in the first, is very good. When I saw Ron Jeremy in this I realized that these films remind me of the style of the Toxic Avenger series-albeit better. I liked it.

One of the worst movies 09

[watto-611-707678 · 1/10 · 2 January 2010]

First of all I LOVE crank 1. 10/10. I can watch it over and over again. A fresh story, good action, funny moments, nice acting.

Now let's take a look at crank 2... This is by far the most fuked up movie i have seen last year... and oh my god i have seen like the worst zombie movie ever Where to start. Or better, why start at all. Crank 2 is lacking everything that makes a movie good except the fact that they have a cool main character.

I saw this movie at cinema with my girl and couldn't walk out but after the scene with these stupid-ass-Latina-Charlie-hoes i got really mad and disappointed. Never seen such a bad acting. And yes... the acting of this hoe is even worse than JeanClaudeVD in Street Fighter.

Whatever. Worst Movie 2009. Doesn't deserve more than 2.0 and i don't know a single person that actually liked this movie or thinks of it as "watchable"

Much to learn about ratings you have