Seen on: April 17, 2009

The players: Directors: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor, Writers: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor, Cast: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr, Bai Ling, Dwight Yoakam

Facts of interest: Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor also directed "Crank."

The plot: Jason Statham returns as Chev Chelios, who's struggling to hunt down the man who stole his heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker.

Our quick thoughts: Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s “Crank” really didn’t need a sequel, but I guess the film’s success and its increasing fan base eventually prompted the filmmakers to develop a follow-up. It’s called “Crank: High Voltage,” and it’s twice as over-the-top and brainless as its amusing predecessor.

I usually devote a paragraph or two to the main story of the film I review, but in this case, I can sum it up in one sentence: After surviving the fall from a chopper, Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) heads out to track down the guy who stole his heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that needs electrical jolts to keep working.

That’s all you have to know before diving into this insane big-screen experience, which follows Chev as he wreaks more havoc than ever before. I won’t really comment on what and who he encounters on his mission to retrieve his heart because I don’t want to spoil anything, but what I can say is that his second adventure is far more ridiculous than the first.

That said, “Crank: High Voltage” is certainly not a disaster. It’s an incredibly stupid and implausible movie, yes, but it’s also a heck lot of fun to watch. The plot remains fast-paced throughout, and even though the story is as forgettable as it can get, the experience of watching Chev trying everything in his power to keep his artificial heart going proves to be both hilarious and occasionally suspenseful.

Of course, this second installment is also a whole lot more vulgar, brutal and explicit than its predecessor, with practically every character dropping f-bombs all over the place. WARNING: If you don’t want to see plenty of naked ladies, bloody shoot-outs and hard sex in public on the big screen, then this one is certainly not for you!

Neveldine and Taylor try everything to make this sequel as visually interesting as the first one, and while most of “Crank: High Voltage” looks kind of cool and edgy, other parts are a little too overblown. You can only do so much with an idea or concept, and they’ve definitely reached their limits with this for now.

“High Voltage” is certainly entertaining, but to be honest, I still prefer the first film, particularly because I found it a little more intriguing. After all, Chev pretty much does the same thing all over again, with the exception that the action in this second flick is a lot more hardcore. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same stuff for 96 minutes.

I don’t really want to comment on the acting because there just isn’t much of that going on here in “Crank: High Voltage,” but what I can say is that Statham is undoubtedly the perfect guy for this kind of role. Dwight Yoakam delivers a bunch of funny lines as Doc, while Amy Smart looks great, as usual.

Freaky quote: “Just juice me." – Jason Statham

The final word: “Crank: High Volatage” is not better than its predecessor, but it’ still an entertaining no-brainer that enjoys making fun of itself and doesn’t shay away from crude humor and brutal violence. It is what it is, and if you enjoy this stuff, you’ll have fun.

Article by Franck Tabouring