Reviewed by Duncan Bain
Stars Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam, Efren Ramirez, Julanne Chidi Hill, Reno Wilson, Ling Bai, David Carradine, Corey Haim, Geri Halliwell
Written by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor
Certification UK 18 | US R
Runtime 96 minutes
Directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor
If you saw 2006’s Crank, you will most likely recall that the final scene of the film had Jason Statham’s “Chev Chelios” falling from a helicopter over Los Angeles and bouncing off the street below. Without missing a beat, that is the exact same point that the sequel starts from – Chelios has barely enough time to blink before a van of Triads pulls up, shovels him off the road, and dumps him in a nearby surgery whereupon his heart and other organs are harvested from his still-conscious body.
As unlikely as it may seem, this is probably the most believable and realistic scene in a film that spends the subsequent 96 minutes shooting, swearing, fucking and fighting like some sort of gun-crazed, deranged teenager’s wet dream. Chev’s battery powered artificial heart needs regular juicing while he sprints round LA hunting his “strawberry tart” and its captors. This is achieved through various means: car batteries, mains outlets, body friction – the more deranged, the better.
To give away many more details would spoil the unbridled joy of being shocked and appalled in the cinema yourself. Quite frankly, this is one of the most extreme, no-holds-barred bouts of cinematic insanity you will experience – certainly this year, possibly ever.