Film

Crank: High Voltage

Name: Crank: High Voltage
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Released: 2009
Cast: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam, Efren Ramirez, Julanne Chidi Hill

Chev Chelios has his indestructible heart ripped out and swapped for a battery pack, so the sequel to Crank just doubles down on the original's dare: keep him electrically charged or watch him die on screen. It's louder, filthier, more absurd, and shot like the camera operator is also on amphetamines. Not a film for anyone who wants a plot that behaves itself, but a genuinely unique blast of pure adrenaline cinema.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want relentless, cartoonishly over-the-top action where the sheer audacity of the set-pieces matters more than plausibility, and you enjoy a movie that never once apologises for itself.

Skip it if you need a story with restraint or emotional weight, because this runs on nonstop noise, crude humour and a hero who barrels through every scene without pausing for breath.

What it asks of you: Little rest: it sprints through ninety-six minutes, rarely lets the camera settle, and expects you to keep pace with its escalating, hyperactive, sometimes gross energy.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Shoot 'Em Up2007

Clive Owen delivers a baby while gunning down an army in the film's opening minutes and never lets up. Same commitment to escalating absurdity as Crank, with a wink to match.

But The relentless self-aware silliness can wear thin if you want your action to occasionally take a breath.

Gamer2009

Same directors, same hyperactive camera, same total disregard for subtlety — this time aimed at a nasty near-future where death-row inmates are remote-controlled for entertainment.

But The satire is blunt and the visuals migraine-inducing even by Crank standards; some found it exhausting rather than exhilarating.

Hardcore Henry2015

An entire feature shot first-person GoPro-style, essentially Crank's chemical panic turned into an aesthetic. Nonstop, gleefully stupid, and physically uncomfortable to watch in the best way.

But The shaky first-person gimmick genuinely nauseates some viewers; this is not one for the motion-sick.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Crank: High Voltage

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Speed1994

Both movies are built entirely around a single mechanical rule — keep moving/keep charged or die — that dictates every scene; Speed proves the trick works even PG-13 and joke-free.

A bus that will explode if it drops below fifty miles per hour is basically Chelios's heart with wheels — the same premise of forced, unrelenting momentum as the only thing between the hero and death.

But It's a studio action thriller from a gentler era, with none of Crank's profanity, gore or gleeful bad taste.

Nobody2021

Bob Odenkirk as a mild suburban dad who turns out to be an unstoppable killing machine — modern, gleeful, brutal action with a similar taste for creative violence and dark comedy.

But It's a more grounded, straight-faced action thriller than Crank's cartoon chaos, so the tone shift might disappoint.

Smokin' Aces2006

A sleazy, twisty ensemble crime-comedy with a body count and a visual style that shares Crank's love of garish excess and criminal-underworld farce.

But Juggles too many characters and subplots; the plot mechanics get messier than the fun justifies.

Kick-Ass2010

Superhero movie filtered through the same ultra-violent, cheerfully tasteless lens — comic-book energy with real consequences and a foul mouth.

But The tonal whiplash between comedy and genuine brutality (especially involving a child assassin) isn't for everyone.

Death Race2008

Statham again, this time armored up and driving weaponized cars in a prison death-sport. Dumb, loud, and completely unbothered by that fact.

But Thinner and more repetitive than Crank — it's mostly just cars and explosions, without the chemical-panic gimmick giving it shape.

Bad Boys II2003

Michael Bay at his most gloriously excessive — overlong, over-the-top, and shot like every scene owes the audience an explosion. A cousin in maximalism.

But At 150 minutes it badly needs the trim Crank never bothers giving itself, and the humor has aged unevenly.

John Wick2014

Stripped-down, elegantly choreographed nonstop violence — proof the same relentless-momentum idea works beautifully when played completely straight instead of for laughs.

But If you came to Crank for the chaos and jokes, Wick's cold precision and grim tone will feel like a different genre entirely.

Redline2009

Same manic, maximalist engine as Crank — total sensory assault, ridiculous stakes, gleeful disregard for restraint — just rebuilt frame by frame in a different medium entirely.

A Japanese anime about an underground street race so visually deranged it makes live-action action movies look restrained — pure sensory overload, drawn instead of filmed.

But Anime pacing and character design take some adjusting to if you've never watched Japanese animation, and the plot is even thinner than Crank's.

Requiem for a Dream2000

Both films are structured around a body that needs a substance to keep functioning and use hyperkinetic editing to put you inside that need — Requiem just plays the same idea as tragedy instead of comedy.

Darren Aronofsky's devastating drama about addiction uses the exact same rapid-cut, body-under-chemical-siege filmmaking language as Crank, but drained of every joke and aimed at grief instead of thrills.

But This is a genuinely harrowing, unrelentingly bleak film about addiction and bodily collapse — nothing here is fun, and it will sit with you.