Crank (2006)

What ensues is an extended, highly kinetic action sequence that has Chelios motoring, sprinting and coptering across Los Angeles on the trail of his soon-to-be assassin. If the substance is old-school action with an adrenaline kick, the style is pure 21st century flash, zooming in and out of the image and morphing the on-screen colors with reckless aplomb.

Crank is a very R-rated action movie — it’s full of gruesome violence, depicts casual drug use, and even takes a breather for a full-on sex scene on the streets of Chinatown. But its sense of humor propels it through its own clichés and a brief flirtation with misogyny (Amy Smart is a likable actress, but her one-dimensional window-dressing role here as Chev’s girlfriend is utterly thankless). It’s not for everyone, and it does eventually run out of steam, but fans of pumped-up, no-stuntman-for-me shenanigans will dig it.

Originally published in the White Plains Times, September 8, 2006.