Crank
By Mal Simons, Blockbuster.co.uk

Jason Stratham and Amy Smart star in this breathtaking action thriller written, directed and filmed by Mark Neveldine. When professional assassin Chev Chelios (Stratham) is poisoned by a rival mobster, he has to keep his heart rate up in order to keep on living. Chelios rampages across Los Angeles in search of a cure and to claim his revenge.

From his standout roles in The Transporter, Snatch, Cellular and Revolver, Jason Stratham has quickly established himself as the British answer to Stephen Seagal (but with better acting!). He is the ultimate guilty pleasure and in Crank, he doesn’t disappoint.

Stratham stars as Chev Chelios, a decent enough guy with plenty of friends and a loving, if somewhat dipsy girlfriend (Amy Smart); he is also a hitman for an LA mobster, responsible for getting rid of their competition. When Chelios awakes in his apartment feeling terrible, he discovers that he has been attacked and drugged by one of his rivals. This drug is an interesting invention of the Chinese triad, one which will kill him within minutes unless he keeps the blood pumping around his body quickly. Most people die within the first hour and Chelios does not have long to live.

After getting upset about the situation and demolishing his living room, Chev realises that the only way to stay alive is to keep his heart rate up as high as possible as this keeps the drug at bay. Determined to get revenge on the people responsible before he dies, and in the hope of discovering a cure, he leaves his apartment and goes on a violent romp across downtown Los Angeles. Along the way he drives very fast, does drugs, picks fights with all the wrong people and frantically rings his doctor and his girlfriend – both of which are a headache to get a hold of. He uses his street contacts to find people close to the one responsible for his poisoning, and leaves a trail of carnage and destruction in his wake.

In making his revenge so public, it is not long before he attracts the attention of both the LAPD and his employers who are both determined to stop him from doing any more damage. With the poison in his system and the authorities and mob closing in, will Chev make it through the day? Well, rent this and find out!

With the perfect mix of comedy and action, Crank is without a doubt, one of the best action films of the year – and a perfect vehicle for Stratham. This is a day in the life of one man’s quest for revenge with some terrific fight scenes, great special effects and some cool comedy moments. This admittedly far fetched stuff… it’s very entertaining. For fans of all things action.

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