A - J - Friday, May 8, 2009 9:23 - 0 Comments

Crank

One of the most octane fueled rides I’ve seen on the movie screen!

Jason Stedham plays Chev Chelios, a hired gun fallen foul of the wrong people. Finding himself  injected with a  poison when he wakes, he has to keep his heart rate up, to slow the progression of his immanent death. Our implausibly named anti hero then begins a rampage across Los Angeles, determined to exact his revenge before his ticker gives out.

That’s about all the plot there is, but with this many inventive scenes and a relatively short running time, you’ll never pause for breath long enough to realize.

Imagine a grown up version of Speed but using the body instead of a bus and you’ve got it.  Stedham brings his natural charm and charisma to the role and really pushes both the physical aspects and the humour.

It’s the sheer inventiveness of this film that really sets it above the rest. The basic premise is really just a fantastic way of setting up scene after scene of heart pounding mayhem and full on foot to the floor action. Once it starts, it never lets up until the climactic ending. Which, we’re happy to say, doesn’t pull any punches.  It’s a tribute to Stedham for impregnating the character with such humour that we’re genuinely rooting for him to make it to the end and dish out the well deserved justice.
 
Genuinely exciting and very, very funny. A real surprise and worth every second; superb from start to finish!