Crank 2: High Voltage (2009)

I enjoyed how unique the first Crank film was and this sequel is even more wild, but I liked it a lot less. Crank: High Voltage is a roller coaster ride that last 85 minutes and features some really gross scenes. For example, a guy getting a shotgun rammed up his rear end isn't even in the top three weird moments in this flick. There was one scene where a guy had to punish himself for letting his boss down, which I had to turn my head and look away (I can't remember the last time I did that). There is almost zero realism here, much like the original, only multiplied by a hundred. Jason Statham is the main action star in the business right now and he is pretty good at what he does. He went all out here and I'm sure he has nothing but bruises and a nice paycheck to show for it. The large supporting cast was better than average and Amy Smart was especially yummy. If you liked Crank (2006) you will probably enjoy this one well enough, but I think they should put this series to rest. Judging by the ending during the credits, I'm sure we can expect Crank 3-D: Zombie Chev in the near future.

This movie made me feel like I was high and drunk while watching an action film, I don't really know how to explain that, but it was an awesome feeling. I also thought it was extremely hilarious and it was a really good sequel. After three months, Chev Chelios is back in action, and tries to find his heart before he dies. Doc Miles tells him that the Chinese gave him an AbioCor Artificial heart, and he must keep it charged, or he will die. He has jumper cables helping him, rubbing up against an old woman, makin' sweet love to his girlfriend, Eve on a horse race track, and grabbing electric wires. I highly recommend CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE!!!

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How much abuse can one body take? When we last left Chev Chelios (Jason Statham), he had fallen from a helicopter, bounced off a car, and landed on a street in the middle of Los Angeles. And this was after being injected with a toxin that stopped the production of adrenaline. Now he finds himself in the middle of an operating room, his still-beating heart removed from his chest and replaced with an artificial version that's hooked up to a battery. When the battery gets destroyed, he's left with only an implanted backup generator, and in order for that to keep working, he must keep himself electrically charged. Sometimes, that involves sticking his finger into a car socket. At other times, that involves clamping jumper cables to his nipple and tongue, at which point the person behind the wheel hits the accelerator.

The original "Crank" was shameless, high octane fun, and so is "Crank: High Voltage," a film that doesn't know the meaning of the word "excessive." There's not a trace of humility to be found in any one of its ninety-six minutes. It's an unabashedly crude crime caper that uses four-letter dialogue as if being paid by the letter. It's an in-your-face assault on the senses, a hyperactive video game that never makes use of the pause button. Normally, these would be the hallmarks of a God-awful film, but in this case, they're the hallmarks of a stylish thrill ride that's just as funny as it is shocking. It's a movie so audacious in its insanity that I pretty much have to recommend it; it may not be the most edifying thing you'll ever see, but it certainly will be the most unforgettable hour-and-a-half you've had all spring.

The story: An Asian gangster named Johnny Vang (Art Hsu) is somewhere in Los Angeles with Chelios' heart, which is said to be indestructible and therefore perfect for harvesting. Chelios, with only a weakly powered artificial heart to work with, goes on a frantic search, stopping every so often to recharge. Along the way, he meets a number of ... interesting people. There's his old flame, Eve (Amy Smart), who now works as a stripper. There's a Chinese prostitute named Ria (Ling Bai), who clings to Chelios like a dog in heat and uses language that would make a sailor blush. There's Venus (Efren Ramirez), who's on a mission to avenge the death of his twin brother, Kaylo. Chelios has an occasional phone conversation with Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam), who was once a heart surgeon before losing his license.

The movie is filled with unbelievable moments, but there are three in particular so priceless that I have to describe them. The first takes place at Hollywood Park, where a horse race is being held. Miles tells Chelios that, in a pinch, skin to skin friction will generate enough static electricity to keep his battery going. When Eve learns of this, she and Chelios begin creating their own "friction"--in the middle of the racing track to a cheering crowd of thousands. The second takes place in a power grid. Chelios and Vang start fighting, at which point the scene turns into a cheesy Asian monster movie, complete with unconvincing miniatures and makeup effects. The third is a strange flashback sequence revealing Chelios as a child (Billy Unger). He and his mother are on a talk show discussing why he became such a juvenile delinquent.

None of this has any real bearing on the story; they're nothing more than excuses for the movie to be ill-mannered and/or goofy. There are, of course, many other instances of these extremes, but they're all so over the top that I probably wouldn't be able to describe them anyway.

I leave it to you to see what happens at the end. Let it suffice to say that the shot before the end credits perfectly sums up everything the filmmakers set out to do. It would not be enough to say that this movie is bizarre; it's so outlandish that it pretty much defies the conventions of genre. Comparisons can be made to "Shoot `Em Up," Michael Davis' no-holds-barred, brilliantly original action film from 2007 that made use of stylized violence and a delightfully sick sense of humor. Both films also feature a British leading man. This leads me to why "Shoot `Em Up" is the more successful film: Clive Owen gave us a performance we hadn't seen him give before. Jason Statham, on the other hand, has starred almost exclusively in extreme action films, so there's very little he can do to surprise us.

Nevertheless, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy this movie, and it has everything to do with how far it goes. There's a difference between a movie that goes too far and a movie like "Crank: High Voltage"--the latter goes so far, it actually surpasses offensiveness and becomes entertaining. This is cinematic decadence at its most potent, an unbridled foray into the mind-numbing depths of action, comedy, and yes, even sex. One of the earliest cues is given by John de Lancie, who plays a TV anchorman; he describes the events of the first film as implausible. No, he doesn't just say the word. He pauses momentarily before accenting the word, as if to let the audience know that they're in store for yet another round of sheer lunacy. The writing/directing team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor could have made a tamer film, I suppose, but like Chev Chelios, they're hearts just weren't in it.

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High Voltage is essential for those that like their junk movies tasteless and baseless. I for one is pretty versatile when it comes to films and for those who know me can vouch for it. After I'd seen Crank 1 I couldn't wait to see Crank 2. It moves at such a frantic pace that you will probably miss a few things during the first viewing so I had to see it twice.

For those of you who don't know story wise, don't sweat it. It's just as bad as the previous installment. Voltage beings where the original ended with the Stath falling a mile from a helicopter and bouncing off a parked car dead presumably, but no because the Chinese warlord responsible for his original poisoned predicament has Staham's Chev Chelios scraped off the roadside and deposited in a makeshift surgical theatre where his heart, strong enough to survive the original film and so a desirable commodity for his wizened nemesis, is extracted and replaced with a battery powered stopgap designed to keep him alive and his organs fresh for transplantation. You'd be forgiven for losing the thread at this point but the movie is only 5 minutes old when Chelios thankfully regains consciousness and on Doctor's orders, begins a hunt for his real heart while subjecting himself to electric shocks to keep the temporary one functioning.

That, if you can believe it, is the setup, and you won't be shocked to learn that it's a fairly sober foundation for what follows. Shot on prosumer camcorders, Crank 2 is saturated in the promise of bargain basement vulgarity and doesn't disappoint. Edited with an eye for the absurd, it feverishly presses on across ninety monged out minutes in which guns are inserted into rectums, nipples sliced from torsos, fights segue into Godzilla style monsters battling against miniatures (with actors in caricatured masks of Statham and his enemy battling it out) and in the funniest sequence, Geri Halliwell appears in flashback as Mother Chelios, taking the young Chev to task on a talk show in which a few British cars and a reject from a mad max movie dressed as a British punk are dropped onto a Californian back lot for the least convincing but most enjoyable English flashback you've ever seen. Chelios may be a hard-line misogynist and causal racist, but there's something about the former Sydenham market trader that would make him likable. Jason Statham preforms brilliantly once again as Chev Chilos. But if you look closer to the film you will see cameo performance of Cory Haims(The Lost Boys) and David Carradine(Kill Bill).

Like I said if you can handle violence, blood, shootings, gratuitous nudity, foul and offensive language involving hilarious one liners from Jason Statham then give it a shot. It's a pure, mindless action taken beyond the extreme and I loved every minute of it.

Want Crank 2: High Voltage (2009) Discount?

For those who have experienced problems playing Crank 2 on blu ray follow the instructions below.

Let's summarize what is required to get this title to play on profile 2.0 players with NO internal memory for BD Live.

1) You MUST install an SD card or USB stick. Which ever is required for your specific player

2) Internet connection is NOT required. Actually, it's preferred you disconnect the Ethernet cable from the player so there are no attempts to "call home"

3) When prompted to Updated, click NO. This allows you to bypass the EULA and quicker boot up since the player/title won't be searching an update.

As many of you I had troubles to play the movie on my Blu ray player but I did a search on the Internet to get a solution to my problem and I found the instructions from a guy on the Internet (Betamax75) the information is courtesy of Bluray.com

You don't need to upgrade your firmware just follow the instructions and the movie will play. In mi case I have a Sony BDP-S350. I installed the USB stick, put the disc on the player a let the disc to load and then the movie start working without a problem. I hope this can help you.

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