Monday, June 1, 2026

In The Name Of The King (2007)

 

In the Name of the King (also known as Dungeon Siege: In the Name of the King or In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale) is a 2007 English-language fantasy action film directed by Uwe Boll and starring Jason Statham, Claire Forlani, Leelee Sobieski, John Rhys-Davies, Ron Perlman, Ray Liotta and Burt Reynolds with Kristanna Loken. It is inspired by the Dungeon Siege video game series, and was an international co-production between Germany, Canada, and the United States. It premiered at the Brussels Festival of Fantastic Films on April 11, 2007, and was released in theatres on November 29, 2007.

It is the first installment in the In the Name of the King film series. Upon its release, the film was a critical and commercial failure, grossing only $13.1 million against a budget of $60 million.

Plot

In the kingdom of Ehb, a man known only as Farmer is living a happy life with his wife, Solana, and their young son, Zeph, in the town of Stonebridge. One day, the town gets attacked by the Krug, creatures known to be primitive and animal-like. They surprise the people by taking up arms, donning armour and are fighting with courage, intelligence and ferocity. It is all because they are magically controlled by Gallian, a powerful Magus who has become sadistic and megalomaniacal, and seeks to conquer and rule Ehb. During the attack, Farmer, along with his friend, Norick and his brother-in-law, Bastian, fights off the Krug. He fails to save Zeph; who is killed by Gallian via a Krug avatar. Through a Krug, Gallian claims to be unable to read Farmer. Solana and other Stonebridge inhabitants are taken prisoner.

King Konreid, Commander Tarish and Ehb's soldiers arrive at Stonebridge to survey the damage and recruit others to join their army. Merick, another Magus who serves Konreid, tries to learn of Farmer's identity when he notices Norick, who he believes he has seen before. Farmer, Norick and Bastian set off on their own to find Solana. Meanwhile, Merick's daughter, Muriella, who fell in love with Gallian, ends her romance with him after seeing his dark nature and realizing that he only trained her power so he can take it away. She confesses to her father, who believes that her love for Gallian has created an imbalance of their powers in Gallian's favour. Meanwhile, Konreid's selfish and immature nephew, Duke Fallow is in league with Gallian and he seeks to take his uncle's place. Gallian attempts to poison Konreid, while at the same time, unwittingly poisoning Fallow, who is then healed as Fallow takes a company of Ehb soldiers for his own. Soon after, Konreid heals and leads his army to go and fight Gallian's forces.

Going through Sedgwick Forest, Farmer and his companions encounter the reclusive nymphs led by Elora, who leads them out of the forest. When they attempt to rescue Solana from the Krug, Farmer gets knocked out, and Norick and Bastian get captured. While Farmer is being hanged by another one of Gallian's avatars, he kills the avatar, frees himself and is rescued by Merick. Farmer is taken to Konreid and his army's camp, where Merick reveals that Farmer is Konreid's long lost son and his real name is Camden Konreid. He explains that many years ago, a young Farmer was present during a battle at a place known as Oxley Pass, where he was found by Norick. Norick was considered to be the adoptive father, but Farmer was cared for by Stonebridge's inhabitants and was kept safe from all the chaos that ravaged Ehb. Konreid and Farmer both disapprove of Merick's claims.

Konreid catches Fallow, in his treachery, which leaves Fallow only his personal guard as the company turns from him and joins the rest of the army. Soon after, a battle erupts between Ehb's army and the Krug. Ehb's army, along with Farmer, eventually gain the upper hand and force the Krug to retreat, but Fallow succeeds in mortally wounding Konreid with an arrow. After the battle, Konreid and Farmer learn that they both share similar knowledge as Konreid declares Farmer his son, Camden, with his last breath and dies. Meanwhile, Tarish challenges Fallow to a duel. Tarish wins, yet Fallow still proclaims himself king until Camden, who arrives, is declared Konreid's son and now the new king. Fallow is arrested for treason and Camden readies everybody for the next battle.

Meanwhile, Norick, Bastian, and Solana are taken to Gallian's lair at Christwind Hold. Norick is killed while he and Bastian fight the Krug. Solana is taken to Gallian, who can sense Camden within her, who reveals that Solana is pregnant with Camden's second child. Going on a mission to infiltrate Gallian's lair, Camden is joined by Merick, Muriella and Elora, who has sided with Ehb against Gallian, while Tarish and the remaining army hold off against the advancing Krug. Merick magically enters the lair and fights Gallian, who manages to outsmart and kill Merick. Camden and Muriella manage to go into the lair as well, but Elora stays behind.

Camden finds Solana and fights Gallian in a sword battle. When Gallian resorts to using his magic to gain the upper hand, he prepares to kill him. Muriella arrives and tries to save Camden but Gallian defeats Muriella by weakening her magic. Suddenly, Solana stabs Gallian in the back. Wounded and enraged, Gallian tries to kill her, but Camden quickly saves her by slitting Gallian's throat and killing him. Gallian's magic influence goes away and the Krug go back to being primitive, saving Bastian and the prisoners, and Tarish and his battered forces. Having finally avenged his son, Camden and Solana are happily reunited as the kingdom is saved.

Cast

Production

The production budget was $60 million,[1] making it Uwe Boll's most expensive film production to date.

Parts of the film were shot in Robert Burnaby Park

Boll has said that two versions will be produced due to length. The first will run for 127 minutes as a single movie trimmed down for cinematic release. The second, a director's cut, was made for a DVD release and ran 155 minutes.[3] The film was shot near the Municipality of Sooke, the westernmost area of the Greater Victoria, Capital Regional District (CRD), British Columbia. Locals and First Nations people were recruited as extras and for other duties.

Visual effects were added in post-production. Companies included Elektrofilm, Frantic Films, The Orphanage, PICTORION das werk, Rocket Science VFX, Technicolor Creative Services, TVT postproduction, and upstart! Animation.

Music

The German power metal band Blind Guardian recorded the movie's main theme, "Skalds and Shadows".[4] The British progressive metal band Threshold contributed the song "Pilot in the Sky of Dreams" from their album Dead Reckoning. The Swedish power metal band, HammerFall, also contributed a track, "The Fire Burns Forever". Wolfgang Herold was the executive soundtrack producer.

Reception

Box office

In the Name of the King was a box office bomb, grossing $2.98 million in its United States opening, not cracking that week's top ten.[5] It had grossed $10.3 million worldwide, including $2.47 million in Germany, $1.39 million in Russia and $1.22 million in Spain.[6]

Critical response

The film received extremely negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 4%, based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 2.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Featuring mostly wooden performances, laughable dialogue, and shoddy production values, In the Name of the King fulfills all expectations of an Uwe Boll film." The film is also ranked in that site's 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s[7] and in 2008, Time listed the film on their list of top ten worst video games movies.[8] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 15 out of 100, based on 11 reviews — indicating "overwhelming dislike."[9] Many critics have attacked the film's close resemblances to other fantasy films, especially the popular Lord of the Rings films.[1][10][11]

Accolades

The film received five nominations at the 29th Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Supporting Actor for Reynolds (also for Deal) and Worst Supporting Actress for Sobieski (also for 88 Minutes), with Boll winning Worst Director.[12][13]

Sequels

Main articles: In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds and In the Name of the King 3: The Last Mission

Despite being considered a bomb, Boll filmed a sequel titled In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds.[14] Filming began on December 1, 2010, and it was released in 2011. The film stars Dolph Lundgren and Natassia Malthe.

A third film, In the Name of the King 3: The Last Mission, was filmed in 2013 but not released until 2014. The film starred Dominic Purcell, with Boll returning to direct.[15]

Home media 

The DVD, released on April 15, 2008, does not include the 155-minute version. The Blu-ray release in December 2008 contains this edition. The German Blu-ray release also contains its 3D version. 813,147 units were sold, gathering a revenue of $14,865,984, more than its box office grossing.[16]


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War (2007)

 

War is a 2007 American action film directed by Philip G. Atwell in his directorial debut and featuring stage combat choreographed by Corey Yuen. The film stars Jet Li and Jason Statham. Jason Statham plays an FBI agent determined to take down a mysterious assassin known as Rogue (played by Jet Li), after his partner is murdered.

War features the second collaboration between Jet Li and Jason Statham, reuniting them for the first time since 2001 film The One.

War's working title was Rogue; it was changed to avoid conflict with another film with the same name. It was re-titled as Rogue Assassin in New Zealand,[2] Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Australia, the Philippines and several European countries.

The film was released in the United States on August 24, 2007, receiving negative reviews from critics and grossed $40.7 million at the box office against the $25 million budget.

Plot

During a shootout against Japanese yakuza at a San Francisco dock warehouse, FBI agents John Crawford and Tom Lone stumble across the notorious assassin Rogue, a former CIA assassin who now works for the yakuza.

Rogue ambushes Crawford and is about to execute him when Lone appears and shoots him in the face, causing him to fall into the water. Rogue's body is never found and he is presumed dead. However, Rogue survives and retaliates against Lone by killing him, his wife and his daughter. He then burns down the house, and leaves their corpses in the ashes.

Three years later, Rogue re-appears, working under Chinese Triad boss Li Chang. While working with Chang, he secretly instigates a war between the Triads and the yakuza, led by Shiro Yanagawa. Rogue first attacks a club run by the yakuza by killing the gangsters and later on the runners in order to recover a pair of antique gold horses; Chang's family heirlooms.

Now the head agent of the FBI's Asian Organised Crime Unit, Crawford is determined to hunt Rogue down and exact revenge for Lone's death. Crawford's obsessive pursuit of him takes a toll on his personal life, causing him to be estranged from his family. He comes close to catching Rogue in the wake of his various killing sprees against the Triads and yakuza, but Rogue always manages to stay one step ahead.

Ultimately, Rogue's actions have gained the trust of both Chang and Yanagawa. He succeeds in killing Chang, but spares Chang's wife and child, turning on the yakuza. With Chang dead, Yanagawa appears in America, intending to expand his business operations. However, he is confronted by Crawford and the FBI; although Crawford presents Yanagawa with proof that Rogue has betrayed him and spared Chang's family, he refuses to assist him in locating Rogue.

Later, Rogue delivers the horses to Yanagawa personally, who turns around and demands the location of Chang's family. Rogue kills all of Yanagawa's men, then engages in a sword fight against Yanagawa himself. Yanagawa discovers he is not the real Rogue, who was killed when attempting to assassinate Lone - he is in fact Lone himself, who surgically altered himself to assume the assassin's identity.

Lone reveals that his actions have all been designed to bring him face-to-face with Yanagawa, to kill the man who ordered the death of his family. Yanagawa reveals that Crawford had been in his pocket the whole time and responsible for leaking Lone's identity and home address to the real Rogue. Angered, Lone disarms and decapitates Yanagawa.

Meanwhile, Chang's wife receives a package from Lone containing one of the two golden horses and a message reading, "Make a new life". Yanagawa's daughter also receives a package with the same message, and inside the box is her father's head. Lone then calls Crawford as he is packing up his office, asking him to meet him at the dock warehouse where they last made their investigation. Before going to the warehouse, Crawford enlists the help of FBI sniper Goi, who aided Crawford throughout the investigation.

At the warehouse, Crawford and Lone battle each other in an intense hand-to-hand fight in which Lone reveals his true identity to Crawford. Devastated, Crawford reveals that it was true that he was working for Yanagawa at the time, but had no idea that Rogue was still alive. He was then blackmailed into giving Lone's address to Yanagawa, thinking that Yanagawa's men were only going there to "rough him up a bit". Ever since, Crawford was angry at himself and wanted revenge against Rogue and those involved in what he thought was his partner's death.

Crawford asks for forgiveness, but Lone refuses. Crawford jumps in front of Goi's line of sight to prevent a kill shot. Lone shoots Crawford in the back, killing him. The next day, Lone drives out of town to start a new life.

Cast

  • Jet Li as Rogue, a notorious international hitman whose real identity is Tom Lone, former FBI agent and former field partner of John Crawford.
  • Jason Statham as FBI agent John Crawford, a corrupt FBI agent former field partner of Tom Lone.
  • John Lone as Li Chang, a powerful Chinese mafia boss in San Francisco, Maria's husband, Ana's father, Shiro Yanagawa's archenemy, and Rogue's employer
  • Mathew St. Patrick as Wick
  • Sung Kang as Goi, an FBI agent fresh out of Quantico.
  • Luis Guzmán as Benny
  • Saul Rubinek as Dr. Sherman
  • Devon Aoki as Kira Yanagawa, a yakuza heiress who is the daughter of Shiro Yanagawa, the powerful boss of the Tokyo yakuza.
  • Ryo Ishibashi as Shiro Yanagawa, a notorious and powerful yakuza boss from Tokyo, Japan who comes to the US to take over the Triad's territories. He is the archenemy of Li Chang and Rogue and the father of Kira Yanagawa.
  • Mark Cheng as Wu Ti, one of Li Cheng's henchmen and brother of Joey Ti
  • Johnson Phan as Joey Ti, one of Li Cheng's henchmen and brother of Wu Ti
  • Nicholas Elia as Daniel Crawford, the son of John and Jenny Crawford
  • Nadine Velazquez as Maria Chang, Li Chang's wife and Ana's mother
  • Kennedy Lauren Montano as Ana Chang, the daughter of Li Chang and Maria Chang
  • Steph Song as Diane Lone, Tom Lone's late wife who was murdered in the beginning of the movie.
  • Andrea Roth as Jenny Crawford, John's wife and Daniel's mother
  • Kenneth Choi as Takada, one of Shiro Yanagawa's henchmen
  • Peter Shinkoda as Harbour Yanagawa Member, one of Shiro Yanagawa's henchmen
  • Angela Fong as Kabuki Dancer
  • Kane Kosugi as Temple Garden Warrior
  • Dario Delacio as Mahjong Player

Reception

Box office

War opened on August 24, 2007, with $9.8 million from 2,277 theaters, a $4,312 average.[3] As of December 2007, the film grossed $22.5 million in the United States and $18.2 million in international box offices, totaling $40.7 million. DVD sales totaled $28 million.[1]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 14% of 59 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Jet Li and Jason Statham find themselves on opposing sides in the immensely boring War, which is full of clichés but short on action."[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 36 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[5] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B.[6]

Paul Semel of Premiere wrote, "War is like Statham's other actioners The Transporter and Crash -- fun, but not big or dumb enough to be glorious."[7] Joe Leydon of Variety magazine wrote "Quickly devolves into a standard-issue crime drama laced with routine martial artistry."[8]

In 2014, Time Out polled several film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors to list their top action films of all time. War was listed at the 93rd place on this list.[9]

Soundtrack

War
Soundtrack album by
Brian Tyler
ReleasedAugust 21, 2007
Length65:09
LabelLionsgate Records

The soundtrack was composed by Brian Tyler. The additional music is by RZA, Mark Batson and Machines of Loving Grace.

  1. "Spyked" – 2:31
  2. "War Opening Titles" – 5:05
  3. "Confession" – 3:05
  4. "Rooftop Pursuit" – 1:44
  5. "Whips" – 2:14
  6. "Swordfight" – 5:16
  7. RZA – "Rogue Cleans Da Hizouse" – 2:15
  8. "Getting Started / Scene of the Crime" – 2:51
  9. Mark Batson – "The Set Up / Mr. Chang Sends Regards" – 2:36
  10. "Shiro Comes to Town" – 3:55
  11. "Bangkok Downtown" – 2:18
  12. "This Isn't Japan" – 2:16
  13. "Cop Hunting / Face to Face" – 2:42
  14. Mark Batson – "Compliments of Mr. Chang" – 0:36
  15. "Rogue's Revenge" – 1:09
  16. "Showdown" – 2:49
  17. "Plans for Retaliation" – 4:00
  18. "Watching the Changes" – 0:45
  19. "Shiro's Estate" – 2:33
  20. "War End Credits" – 5:31
  21. Machines of Loving Grace – " King" – 4:04
  22. "War Opening Titles (Remix)" – 4:54

The Japanese version uses "Strong Style" by Kreva.[10]

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Crank: High Voltage (2009)

 

Crank: High Voltage (alternately titled Crank 2: High Voltage) is a 2009 American action film directed by Neveldine/Taylor, and stars Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr., Efren Ramirez, Bai Ling, David Carradine and Dwight Yoakam. It is the sequel to the 2006 film Crank and also features several cameo appearances of celebrities from various fields of entertainment. In the film, Chev Chelios (Statham) survives from the deadly fall and gets kidnapped by Chinese doctors, who harvest his heart and replace it with an artificial one, which is designed to keep him alive for an hour. Chev sets out to find his heart while keeping himself electrically charged to stay alive.

Crank: High Voltage was released in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2009 and was later released in North America on April 17, 2009. Critics were not given advance screening of the film. The film received praise for Statham's performance, but the film was criticised for being excessively violent, offensive and visually unappealing.

Plot

Chev Chelios lands in the middle of an intersection after falling out of a helicopter.[a] He is scooped off the street by gangsters and removed from the scene. Three months later, Chev wakes up in a makeshift hospital and sees doctors removing his heart while Johnny Vang watches. The doctors place an artificial heart in his chest. He wakes up later and escapes, noticing an external battery pack is attached to him. By interrogating a thug, he learns the location of Johnny Vang: the Cypress Social Club.

Chev calls Doc Miles, who says that Chev has been fitted with an AbioCor artificial heart. Miles informs Chev that once the external battery pack runs out, the internal battery will kick in and he will have 60 minutes before it stops working. Chev crashes his car, destroying the external battery pack. After getting directions from a driver, Chev has the driver use jumper cables on him to charge the internal battery. At the club, Chev loses Vang but picks up a prostitute named Ria, who sends him to a strip club where Vang is hiding out. In the club, Chev finds Eve, who is now working as a stripper. A group of Mexican mobsters, led by Chico, show up looking for Chev. After a gunfight, Chev learns that a mobster named "El Hurón" ("The Ferret") wants to kill him, but he doesn't find out why.

Chev commandeers a police cruiser with Eve and another stripper. The stripper tells Chev that he should look at the Hollywood Park Racetrack for Johnny Vang. Even today along the way, Chev meets Venus, the brother of Chev's deceased associate Kaylo. Wanting his help, Chev tells Venus that El Hurón was involved in his brother's death. At the horse track Chev begins losing energy again. Another call to Doc Miles informs him that friction will cause static electricity to power the internal battery. Eve arrives and has sex with Chev on the racetrack, which generates enough friction to charge the heart. Chev spots Vang and leaves Eve behind. Vang escapes, and Chev is about to be subdued by security when Don Kim picks Chev up in a limo. He informs Chev that there is a prominent leader in the Triads named Poon Dong, who was in need of a heart transplant and chose Chev's to replace his. Chev kills Don Kim and his henchmen upon learning that Don Kim wishes to return him to Poon Dong for a reward. Meanwhile, Venus calls in Orlando to assist in tracking down El Hurón.

While searching for Vang, Chev boards an ambulance and steals a battery pack for his artificial heart. Chev exits the ambulance upon seeing Johnny Vang on the street outside and a shootout ensues before Chev subdues Vang. Chev learns that his heart has already been transplanted into Poon Dong. Johnny Vang is shot and killed by Chico as Chev questions him, and Chev is knocked unconscious. Doc Miles uses his secretary, Dark Chocolate, to lure Poon Dong into his apartment to kill him and retrieve Chev's heart.

Chev is taken to Catalina Island where El Hurón awaits. It is revealed that El Hurón is the brother of Ricky and Alex Verona, both of whom Chelios killed. El Hurón also reveals that Ricky Verona's disembodied head floating in a glass tank is being artificially kept alive long enough to watch El Hurón scourge Chelios to death. Orlando, Venus and Ria suddenly arrive with backup, and a shootout ensues, killing most of El Hurón's henchmen and breaking the glass tank. In the chaos, Chelios takes Ricky Verona's now gasping head and drop kicks it into a pool. As he starts to slow down, Chev climbs a nearby electric pole and grabs the terminals of a high voltage transformer to recharge, is set ablaze by the massive current, and blown off the pole. Still ablaze, Chev returns fully powered and beats El Hurón to death. Due to a hallucination caused by the electric currents, he sees Ria as Eve and kisses her, inadvertently setting her ablaze. Chev walks towards the camera and gives the audience the middle finger while still ablaze.

During the end credits, Doc Miles replaces Chev's heart. Chelios's eyes open and his heart monitor indicates normal activity.

Cast

Celebrity cameos include Ron Jeremy, Ed Powers, Jenna Haze, Nick Manning, Lexington Steele, Chester Bennington, Glenn Howerton, Maynard James Keenan, Danny Lohner, Keith Jardine, Lauren Holly, and Lloyd Kaufman.

Production

After the modest success of Crank at the box office, its directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor were approached by Lionsgate Films to direct a sequel.[4] Neveldine and Taylor refused, explaining that the idea "sounded ridiculous" and "kinda lame" as they had already "killed" its protagonist, Chev Chelios, at the end of Crank. According to producer Skip Williamson, the duo passed on the opportunity to direct because "they didn't think they could toughen themselves" due to the "outlandishness" of the first film and would rather stay on as screenwriters.[4] The duo later became interested to direct the finished script; Taylor explained that he and Neveldine "had fallen in love with [the script] and we were not going to let anyone else touch it", believing no other director could direct it better than them.[5] Taylor said the writing process was relatively "easier" on Crank 2 since the script picked up where the first film left off and adopted the same location and a few characters of the original. As such, Taylor saw the script as an opportunity to write Chelios's dialogue in the way that matched Statham's British vernacular, something he was unable to do on the first film since he had written the role specifically for an American actor before Statham was cast.[5]

An October 2007 Variety report stated that Jason Statham was set to reprise his role as Chelios for Crank 2.[6] Statham himself was thrilled to be on the sequel, stating he "was completely excited by how ludicrous and outrageous they made part two. This one takes it to the next level."[5] According to Taylor, Statham called Crank 2 "the most fun movie I've read since Lock, Stock".[4] An April 2008 Variety report announced that Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr., Bai Ling, Dwight Yoakam, and Efren Ramirez had joined the cast.[7]

Filming lasted 31 days in Los Angeles, from April 28 to June 9, 2008.[5] Locations that were used include the Port of Los Angeles, Inglewood, East and Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood Park and the Los Alamitos Race Course where the sex scene between Chev and Eve was filmed.[5] To achieve the same "hyper-kinetic visuals" of the first film, Neveldine, Taylor and cinematographer Brandon Trost acted as camera operators and photographed using "prosumer" high-definition camcorders including Canon's VIXIA HF-10 and XH-A1. The size and weight of these cameras provided the directors mobility (especially when Neveldine filmed chase scenes with Rollerblades on), and allowed them to capture from hard-to-reach areas and wrap filming quickly.[5] Specialty rigs were also developed for the film,[4] one of which was a piece of speed rail bent 180 degrees and mounted with a total of eight cameras that lent a bullet-time look reminiscent of The Matrix.[5] Although the film looks noticeably handheld,[4] Fig Rigs were used to keep scenes as stable as possible.[5] Nearly 300 hours of footage was shot by the time filming was completed.[4]

Soundtrack

Main article: Crank: High Voltage (soundtrack)

Reception

Box office

Crank: High Voltage opened in 2,223 theaters in North America and grossed $6,963,565 with an average of $3,133 per theater and ranking #6 at the box office. The film ended up earning $13,684,249 domestically and $20,888,292 internationally for a total of $34,572,541.[3]

Critical response

The film was not screened for critics.[8] Rotten Tomatoes reported a score of 64%, with an average rating of 6.00/10, based on 72 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Crank: High Voltage delivers on its promises: a fast-paced, exciting thrill ride that doesn't take itself too seriously."[9] On Metacritic, the film earned "mixed or average reviews," with a weighted average of 41 out of 100 based on 15 reviews.[10] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "C−" on a scale of A to F.[11]

Critics assessed the film in comparison to the original, to mixed reactions. The Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck said it "follows the same formula as the first, with one difference: They've managed to ramp up the action and vulgarity beyond the insane heights of the original."[12] Chris Tilly for IGN UK said that "if anything, [the sequel] is even more outlandish and ridiculous than its predecessor."[13] Rob Nelson for Variety wrote, "Yet another D.O.A. for the ADD era, Crank: High Voltage rewards the sizable cult audience of 2006's Crank with more of the same, only stupider."[14] The New York Times critic Jeannette Catsoulis called it "boorish, bigoted and borderline pornographic" like the original.[15] Both Stephanie Zacharek and Alexander Larman criticized how the sequel had dropped the "good-naturedness" of the original in favor of shocking the viewers with excessive profanity and mayhem; Larman said that "the sequel seems content to wallow in mean-spirited unpleasantness, apparently on the grounds that not enough films these days feature, say, graphic genital torture or a man slicing off his own nipples."[8][16]

Nelson opined that the film is "[n]otable for being perhaps the first pic to feature an anal rape by shotgun (among countless other atrocities)", and called the public sex scene "borderline pornographic".[14] Tilly noted the influence the Grand Theft Auto video game series had on the film due to its bloody violence and mayhem, commenting that "[b]oth the hunter and the hunted kill everything in their sights, resulting in blood-baths all over town."[13] He and Zacharek considered both the anally-inserted shotgun and nipple self-mutilation scenes as some of the most unpleasant moments in the film, though both critics were divided on their reactions to the directors' approach in conveying these images. Tilly opined, "It's as if writer-directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have seen that people liked the holy trinity of sex, violence and bad language of their first film, and so injected ever-increasing amounts of all three into the sequel"; Zacharek was otherwise critical, writing, "The first time around, Neveldine and Taylor treated the movie's cartoony violence as a sick joke; this time around, it's an applied science, and the strain of their efforts shows."[8][13] Adam Markovitz for Entertainment Weekly, however, complimented the film as "an eye-popping strobe of flesh and blood" albeit polarizing.[17] Scheck wrote, "From Chev's sticking a shotgun barrel up a bad guy's ass to his final turning toward the camera to give the audience the finger, the film makes clear that subtlety is not part of the equation."[8]

Some critics were displeased with how the film treated minorities. Catsoulis said the film "vigorously abuses Mexicans, Asians, women and the disabled with equal-opportunity glee."[15] Larman pointed out what he saw as "extreme misogyny and racism", citing one usage of the racial slur "chink"; he noted that although "nothing should be off limits in comedy", the film only amounted to "flashy, arrogant emptiness".[16] Zacharek found the homosexual jokes "particularly unsettling", and said the film treated Efren Ramirez's new role "as if he's as worthless as the women".[8] Scheck wrote, however, "What makes [the film] all palatable is the comic lunacy injected into the proceedings, which often take on a decidedly surreal quality."[12]

The film's visuals were also a subject of criticism. Nelson wrote, "As in Crank, high-def video shooting lends a suitably garish immediacy to the frenzied action. [...] The directors are content to replay the same Red Bull six-pack aesthetic — rack zooms, split-screens, and whiplash pans aplenty — with been-there-done-that disinterest."[14] Zacharek complained that the actresses were "made to look as cheap and ugly as possible" by being "shot in hard light that highlights every skin flaw", and that the "choppy" camerawork made Jason Statham barely noticeable.[8] Markovitz, however, said the film "is as visually stunning as it is absurdly offensive."[17]

Zacharek said Statham lacked the energy and charisma he displayed in the original, lamenting that the sequel made him "[look] miserable, as if appearing in this lousy picture just sucked all the heart right out of him."[8] Some critics, however, praised Statham's performance; Scheck said the actor "anchors the proceedings with his simmering charisma and impressive physicality", while Tilly called it one of his best efforts "with little seeming regard for his own physical well-being".[12][13]

Home media

Crank: High Voltage was released via DVD and Blu-ray on September 8, 2009 in the United States. At the DVD sales chart, Crank opened at No. 2, selling 305,000 units which translates to $5,345,078 in revenue. As per the latest figures, 827,000 units have been sold, acquiring revenue of over $15 million. This does not include Blu-ray sales or DVD rentals.[18] In Germany, the uncut DVD and Blu-ray was released on March 31, 2010.[19]

Possible sequel

Regarding a third film, in 2009 actress Smart said "It's been talked about."[20] Smart also noted that Crank 3 might be made in 3D.[21] During an 'Ask me anything' on Reddit, Brian Taylor gave a possible 2013 release date for Crank 3.[22] In March 2015, Statham gave an update on the sequel, saying that he'd love to do it and he was waiting for Neveldine and Taylor to "get their heads together."[23] Statham stated that Neveldine and Taylor "have a loose idea. They haven't written the script."[24][25] In January 2018, Brian Taylor stated it would "be a while" until there was a Crank 3 due to profitability concerns and high expectations.[26]


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