I didn’t see 2006’s Crank in theaters, but after watching the Blu-ray I wished I had. The first film from the writer/director duo Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor was insane, and I reveled in its delirium. I can’t say exactly what it was, but the absurdity of the whole thing just hit all the right notes without seeming deliberate. By this I mean each scenario seemed to come as a result of the story being told and not out of a desire to see how far they could take it, and that is the reason the sequel fails to entertain.
When the Blu-ray for Crank 2 arrived I waited a few days before giving it a watch in an attempt to make sure I was in just the right mood to soak it up. It hadn’t been screened for critics and I didn’t head out to the theater to give it a watch. After the success of the original, I assumed if this film was decent on any level the studio would have sought out critical opinions, especially since they had just screened The Spirit only four months earlier. However, the fact it was hidden from the critical masses said something, and what it was apparently saying was, “Tries too hard and fails as a result.”
Crank 2: High Voltage manages to bring Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) back to life after falling out of a helicopter to the street below. He doesn’t die and the absurdity of the idea doesn’t come as a surprise. As a matter of fact nothing in this franchise will ever come as a surprise, which means when Neveldine and Taylor set out to do so it no longer feels like a cohesive story as much as it becomes a patchwork of stupidity.
In the original Chelios was poisoned and given only an hour to live unless he somehow managed to keep his adrenaline flowing long enough to get the men responsible as well as the antidote. He ran around the streets of Los Angeles causing copious amounts of mayhem and it was a pleasure to watch every ridiculous minute of it. In Crank 2 he’s given the task of doing pretty much the same thing as an artificial heart has been implanted in his chest and he sets out to get his heart back and along the way he must electrocute himself in a variety of imaginative ways to keep things pumping as the power in the heart’s back-up battery continues to die.
There are one or two funny moments and the craziness can be mildly amusing, but for the most part it seems like a tired rehash just trying to shock the audience, but it isn’t shocking. This time around it just felt stupid and I’m pretty sure Neveldine and Taylor would tell you they aren’t surprised by that response.
Included with this Blu-ray are features ranging from an audio commentary with Neveldine and Taylor, a 51-minute making of feature, a wrap-party gag reel and a “Take 2” featurette that looks at all the self-described “fuck ups” along the way.
The commentary can be listened to as an audio-only version or in the “Crank’d Out Commentary” version, which allows for a picture-in-picture look at things as Neveldine and Taylor discuss the film. Their commentary is entertaining simply because they are a pair of fun guys to listen to that really are in on the joke and while I didn’t particularly enjoy the film, I know these are two guys that wouldn’t necessarily be surprised, which is evident in the making-of doc.
“Making ‘Crank 2′” is a highlight of the package and I would say the 51-minute making-of feature is more entertaining than the film itself as the writer/director duo discuss the technical aspects of the film as well as readily admit they believe no one read the script because if they had the film would have probably never been made. As for a Crank 3, they basically say that once society gets about as low as it can go that’s when we should expect the next installment. I really like these guys.
A close second when ranking the supplements would be the “Take 2” feature, which runs just over four minutes and shows scenes from the film and moments when either a camera can be seen in the actual picture, a stunt double’s face, set police, the director in a reflection and so forth. The tongue-in-cheek approach to filmmaking is to be respected, especially when you realize these are two guys just out to make a fun and absurd flick.
I’m not sure there is another film out there where I feel a certain level of respect for the filmmakers and their approach, yet didn’t come out enjoying the film as a result. I still think Crank is a great film, but this sequel just didn’t work for me, however the special features did. I’m not sure I would ever buy a DVD or Blu-ray simply for the supplemental material, but this one looks like it has the potential to be one of the first I would ever recommend the possibility.
