Crank

Crank is an adrenaline rush like we haven’t seen in a long time. The action here is really non-stop and the ideas of the director duo Neveldine/Taylor know no bounds. All the elements they use in the film are maximized, and Jason Statham, in the role that suits him best, is a great powerhouse of the whole movie. In some places, however, the plot is exaggerated and illogical but it's worth it for the entertainment... The camera shakes, the sirens blare, and Chev Chelios settles his last bill. (31.10.2006)

Ich sage es gleich am Anfang: Ohne das Telefon-Finale hätte Crank ein Boo! bekommen. Warum bin ich so unbarmherzig? Der Film hat einen ausgezeichneten Gedanken, er basiert auf einer wirklich originellen Idee (das muss man wirklich schätzen). Warum wurde er aber so… Ähm… Kastriert gedreht? Ich mag Statham, er stellt seine harten Kerle glaubwürdig dar. Hier hatte ich aber ein Riesenproblem mit ihm. Sein Gesichtsausdruck, der während des ganzen Films gleich blieb, hat mich unglaublich genervt. Seine Bemühungen, um jeden Preis stinksauer auszusehen, waren eigentlich peinlich. Normalerweise habe ich auch nichts gegen Schimpfwörter und Gewalt. Es muss aber einen Zweck haben. Hier gab es für 90 % der Schießereien, der Sexualkontakte auf der Straße, der Erektionen usw. keinen Grund. Crank ist ein eindeutiger B-Movie. Er ist dynamisch und schwungvoll – am Anfang kommt er in Gang und bleibt erst nach anderthalb Stunden stehen. Er ist aber schrecklich leer und wird nach einer halben Stunde sehr langweilig. (08.04.2010)

Nice insanity, but not enough for four stars, it’s too tame for that. 7/10 (24.04.2009)

A visually overstuffed directorial debut that lacks a more distinctive narrative style and drowns its original theme in plagiarized action sequences that surprise no one. Statham is once again cool, but slowly but surely his single expression starts to become an awkward pose that becomes annoying towards the end. The film is pulled out of absolute mediocrity by a few wonderfully incorrect black-humor gems (the bird in the cage, sex by the mailbox), but why not admit it: (spoiler!) classic clips die just like the hero of the film - he tries his best, but he’s on his way underground just like everyone else. (28.11.2006)

Crank has a huge advantage in its frantic pace, thanks to which many flaws will whizz past you. It's a movie obviously tailored to Jason Statham, and although it's a debut, even for a small budget, the filmmakers really do amazing things within the ninety-minute running time. Everything is supposed to be terribly "cool"; but while sometimes it is really cool, it's often trying to be so "cool" that it's ridiculous. The creators definitely have great ideas (they probably (used to) play GTA quite a lot) and it’s clear that even within the B-movie category, there can still be originality. (12.01.2007)

A revelation. A brilliantly crazy and absurd affair with divine action and tons of one-liners. Crank will make you laugh, charge you with energy, and never break a sweat the entire time. Jason Statham as Chev Chelios has found his perfect role, and whether it revolves around his girlfriend or slimy villains, I can't believe what the script can come up with. And the wild action, taken to unimaginable extremes, is the reason why I recommended this little treat to even action-hungry viewers. It sent shivers down my spine, and I happily smiled that someone served me scenes on a silver platter that I've always wanted to see. The fact that Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor clearly went crazy before shooting the second installment is a different story, albeit a very sad one even so many years later. (03.11.2006)

I definitely wouldn't characterize this as an action film or the style of the future. Jason Statham is really tough, but his motherfuckin’ expression starts to get tiresome after about ten minutes into the film. The action is highly confusing, and when even the director realizes it, they throw in some squirting blood or severed limb. The camera filter could have been better chosen, and the furious pace is not nearly as devilish as they say. There’s lots of nonsense at every step, the police are depicted as a bunch of incompetent fools who are afraid to shoot (which looks quite different in the US), the bad guys are relatively laughable, so what does this pseudo-cool debut actually have going for it? At times there's a pleasant extravagance and the saying “good value for money” holds true, but it's often fake and not pretty. If this is the new trend of the future, then may God help us. An action hero should have some class and Chev Chelios doesn't have it. (04.06.2007)

Let's imagine for a moment what it would be like if all of the climactic scenes of this film were based on the daily routine of an ordinary bald guy, like me. I would wake up in the morning, smash my only TV set to smithereens, then out of boredom steal five cars and one police motorcycle, ride around town in a hospital gown that doesn't cover everything, have sex with a beautiful girl in public (and get the applause of a group of Japanese, or more likely Roma in our country) and finally jump out of a helicopter and hastily call my mother to tell her not to worry, that God is still counting on me for the second episode (sorry, day). ... I know, it's a movie, and I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy something like that myself at some point in my life, but everything has its limits, which are sort of forgotten here – though in this case that's actually a good thing :) 65% (04.07.2011)

I must say, I enjoyed this action. An excellent idea with a good adrenaline rush. It's not entirely perfect and not fully fleshed out, and it could be a bit grittier, but Jason just has a gift that allows him to excel in basically any role. And this one definitely suited him. I should try the sequel sometime. (10.03.2014)