Crank (film)

Crank is a 2006 American black comedy/action film written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart and Jose Pablo Cantillo. The plot centers on a British hitman in Los Angeles named Chev Chelios who is poisoned and must keep his adrenaline flowing constantly in order to keep himself alive. He does so by various methods including taking drugs and getting into fights, while he tries to track down the man who poisoned him. The title of the film comes from the slang word for methamphetamine.

The film was followed by a sequel, entitled High Voltage, in 2009.

Plot

Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) is a Los Angeles-based British hitman, working for a crime syndicate headed by Carlito (Carlos Sanz). Chelios is contracted by Carlito to kill mafia boss Don Kim (Keone Young) as members of the Triads have been encroaching on Carlito's business. Chelios betrays Carlito by making it appear he assassinated Don Kim although he chose to let him live. Ricky Verona (Jose Pablo Cantillo), an ambitious small-time criminal uses the opportunity to conspire with Carlito against Chelios; Verona will kill Chelios so the Triads do not retaliate, and then take Chelios's place as Carlito's new hired gun. While Chelios sleeps in his apartment, Verona, his brother Alex (Jay Xcala), and several henchmen break in and inject Chelios with a Chinese synthetic drug which inhibits the flow of adrenaline, slowing the heart and eventually killing the victim. Chelios wakes to find a recording left by Verona showing what he has done.