The Week in Film by Robert Mann – Week Starting 17/4/09

20th April 2009

Crank 2: High Voltage ***½

Two years ago Jason Statham starred in what is quite possibly one of the most unique and original action movies ever made. That film is Crank and while it was hardly a masterpiece nor was it a smash hit at the box office, it’s over-the-top-not-to-be-taken-seriously approach to the action made for a film that found a cult following and made enough money to justify the production of a sequel. But how do you follow one of the most ludicrously insane action movies of all time? Simple, make a film that is even more ludicrously insane. And so we have Crank 2: High Voltage, which picks up right where the first film left off with ex-hitman Chev Chelios dead, although he has apparently gotten better since then.
Having survived both the deadly Beijing Cocktail and a deadly fall from a helicopter, ex-hitman Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) immediately finds himself thrown into another deadly life-or-death situation as bad guy Johnny Vang (Art Hsu) has stolen his heart and replaced it with a mechanical ticker that requires constant electrical power to keep it running. Escaping his captors he immediately sets out to find Vang and reclaim the heart has been taken from in, which Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam) is reasonably sure he can put back in. However, if Chelios is to stay alive long enough to get his heart back he must constantly keep himself charged with electricity, something that girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart) is all too happy to help with. With his life literally hanging in the balance once again Chelios must find his enemy and reclaim what it is before it is too late but surely even he can’t survive all this, can he?

If what you want from your action movies is realism then Crank 2: High Voltage is most definitely not the film for you. This film is about as ridiculous and insane as an action movie can possibly be and it is not ashamed of it either, literally cramming the ludicrousness of everything that is going on down your throat throughout, starting with a video game style recreation of the ending of the first film, which sets up what is to come for the rest of the film, as a video game is likely the only other place where a character could go through everything that Chev Chelios goes through and still be alive. And go through a lot he does with each situation being more ludicrous than the last, and in a good way. No doubt many will call this a bad film and they wouldn’t be too far from the truth, it is a bad film, but it is so bad that it is good. What this film provides is a viewing experience unlike any other where the rules of logic that often dictate what can and can’t happen in a film are thrown out completely, making for a film where anything goes and certainly does. This film is entertainment pure and simple with action sequences that provide thrills and crazy scenarios that deliver laughs by the bucket load, although most of the film’s humour is purely a matter of taste, in that some will find it to be in very bad taste. And much of it is, yet there it is impossible to deny the ingenuity of the film that, while not being nearly as inventive as its predecessor, is easily one of the most original films in quite a while and isn’t afraid to go outside the box. As you might expect though it certainly isn’t for everyone and anyone who is particularly faint of heart or weak of stomach should steer well clear. Technically, the film is a mixed bag. The shaky camera movements and fast cut editing are a perfect fit for such a hyperactive piece of cinema as this and on this front the film delivers excellently. However, as you would expect the storyline is pretty paper thin, serving merely to facilitate the numerous crazy scenarios. Writer/directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor don’t care about something as immaterial (in the case of this film at least) as plot though and get to have a lot of fun with the storyline creating some truly amusing dialogue and some terrifically humorous situations. The acting is also not of too much consequence as this film hardly needs great performances to serve its purpose. Regardless though Jason Statham is perfect as Chev Chelios, being game for the wacky things that are required of him, and there are also extremely entertaining performances from both Dwight Yoakam and David Carradine. All in all, Crank 2: High Voltage manages to outdo the first film in terms of outrageousness and it is probably the most insane and twisted movie that you will see this year. Of course, the audience for the film is likely to be somewhat limited but if you are in the film’s target demographic and don’t take anything that happens seriously, you will find this film to be one hell of a ride.

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I Love You, Man **½

Everyone has heard of romance but recently a new term has been used increasingly within the comedy genre, that term being bromance. With films such as 2007’s Superbad the bromance has been gaining increasingly in popularity and the latest entry into this fledgling comedy sub-genre is I Love You, Man, the latest film from writer/director John Hamburg, who previously brought us Meet the Parents and Along Came Polly, that brings together two comedy stars who have seen their popularity on the rise over the last year. The first of these is Paul Rudd who has been a notable presence in Hollywood comedies for some time now but has only recently become a big name in his own right with this year’s Role Models. The other is Jason Segel who was propelled into the spotlight with last year’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Both have proven themselves to be talented performers and whatever you think of each star’s last film it is hard to deny that I Love You, Man has shown itself to be a very promising comedy in its marketing campaign. But the same can be said of many other comedies that promised so much and delivered so little. So, will you be saying “I love you I Love You, Man” or will your reaction on leaving the cinema auditorium be “I think we should see other people”? Read on to find out.

Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is an ambitious real estate agent on the verge of his big break. He has also just asked his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones) to marry him and of course she has said yes. There is just one problem – he has no male friends and thus has no one to be his best man. So, encouraged by Zooey, he sets out on a series of man-dates in an attempt to strike up a friendship and do some male bonding. Things seem to be going nowhere until he meets slacker Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) at an open house. Sydney is both friendly and honest and it seems that he and Peter may be kindred spirits. Soon, they are spending most of their time together and a new side is brought out of Peter, initially to the happiness of Zooey but soon to her dismay as she finds herself being cast aside as Peter spends more and more time with Sydney. When crunch comes to the shove, however, what will Peter choose – his relationship with Zooey or his friendship with Sydney?

Comedy is a very tough genre when it comes to writing film reviews and I Love You, Man demonstrates this more than most. After all, the success of the humour in any film is always a matter a personal taste. This critic found this film to be extremely underwhelming in the comedy department but judging by the reaction from the rest of the audience in the same screening as me this is not an opinion that everyone will share and there are indeed people who will find this film to be absolutely hilarious. Of course I can’t really speak for them so I will give my personal opinion on the film’s humour. As a whole, the film certainly isn’t bad with some genuinely funny moments, lots of very amusing performances and a gradual improvement in the hit rate of the gags and the success of the plot as the film progresses. There are enough decent comic moments to make the film watchable but sadly the hit rate is at best 50/50. As with a number of recent comedies there is an over reliance on crude references to achieve its humour and while there are thankfully no explicit visual gags, with everything merely being implied or referenced, most of the content just isn’t laugh out loud funny, even though some things do at least help to define the personalities of the characters. The hit and miss gag rate can largely be attributed to slapdash direction and scripting by John Hamburg who is unable to replicate his past successes and also the fact that while he manages to create a reasonably entertaining film he fails to do anything particularly ingenious or inventive with the concept, instead settling to just rehash old ideas and then not even with a sense of charm, warmth or style. There is one area where the film is virtually faultless, however, and that is its cast. Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are both very entertaining performers and both make for likeable characters, sharing an enjoyable and believable on-screen chemistry. There is a degree of charm in their friendship that many may be able to relate to but it is a real shame that they couldn’t have been in a better movie that this. They are ably backed up by most of the other key cast members with Rashida Jones making for a likeable love interest and also some very amusing turns by Thomas Lennon and Lou Ferrigno (amusingly playing himself). J.K. Simmons and Andy Samberg are also entertaining but don’t get much screen time and sadly Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly are completely wasted. Overall, this critic certainly didn’t love I Love You, Man but given the reaction from others in the audience it is clear that there are people who just might.

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Reviews by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

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