Crank

After my much professed love for Crank 2 I realized there was no possible way that I could go without seeing its forebearer. I even ended up making a spur of the moment four for twenty purchase after seeing it in the Blockbuster used rack (this unfortunately also resulted in me picking up the putrid Aeon Flux to fill out the four). Anyway for Crank's sake I wish I would have watched it before seeing the sequel. Don't get me wrong Crank is entertaining but it just doesn't compare to the inspired insanity of its successor. It would be akin to seeing Godfather II before the Godfather, Toy Story II before Toy Story, Army of Darkness before Evil Dead, or Leprechaun 5: Leprechaun in the Hood before Leprechaun - the earlier films all have there charms, and may be in themselves fine works, but if you've first seen the genius of their successors there's no way that they can't feel but a little disappointing. They were all necessary to let the filmmakers start developing ideas, but the sequels are where the true genius inherent in the stories is manifested.

In the case of Crank too much time is spent developing plot and character motivation. This is a film about a guy trying to stay alive by stimulating adrenaline production in his body through increasingly crazy acts. I think we can all safely say that no more motivation is needed. Crank 2 wisely ignores this and just concentrates on ratcheting up the insanity until it approaches a surrealistic masterpiece. I am glad I saw Crank as it increased my appreciation of the inspired sociopathic nature in Crank 2 as well my admiration of its creators' maturation.

Note: I am very jealous of Jason Statham's ability to grow a heroic five o'clock shadow. The best I can do is grow in some scraggly looking hippy beard (and you better believe that I do), but I feel like if I could such impressive looking facial hair my street cred would go up exponentially, and I might quite possibly approach competence as a dresser and a lover.