Crank: High Voltage

This is the second of the Crank movies. When Jason Statham's eye popped open at the end of the first one after his long, long fall from a helicopter, you knew there'd be a sequel. And if you saw the first movie, you know what you'll get here except more of it. If you didn't see the first one, you're not in the target audience for this one, either. The first one was loud, fast, and out of control. This one is louder, faster, and even more out of control. By the end, I don't think anybody knew what it was about anymore, and certainly nobody cared.

Okay, that's not fair. They knew, all right. It's about sex, nudity, and violence. Lots of all three. Mix 'em together, amp 'em up (joke intended), and you get this movie.

Of course, that's not all. No, there's more. There's also the sensitive Wizard of Oz subtext that us more astute critics noticed. What? You didn't see it. Well, that's what I'm here for. Someday people will be writing dissertations on how this movie is really about a caring but indestructible man who's looking for a heart. He has to follow the Yellow Brick Road, or what passes for it in Los Angeles to find it, but the Wizard (Dwight Yoakum) is there to help. There's no wicked witch, but there are plenty of obstacles. And there's David Carradine, in a role that's become something to talk about, I suppose, since his ignominious death.

Plot? Who cares? It's all action, and if that's what you're looking for, along with humor and the aforementioned sex, nudity, and violence, you'll find plenty of everything. This is a B-movie that knows it's a B-movie, and it just wants you to have a good time.