There’s no way to describe this two-parter, because it is utterly deranged. It is the absolute best and worst of cinema at the same time, and it gave one of the finest action stars of his generation the chance to let loose and show just how weird and demented he could actually be. The result was two immensely entertaining movies that saw one man have a very bad day and do his best to stay alive despite the most hilariously overwhelming odds.
Crankand Crank 2: High Voltage are streaming for free on Pluto this month, so grab a Red Bull and a coffee and get your heart going. The first film follows hitman Chev Chelios, who is poisoned and must keep his adrenaline pumping to stay alive. The sequel somehow gets even more ridiculous, with Chev trying to recover his stolen heart while keeping himself electrically charged.
The cast includes Jason Statham (The Transporter) as Chev Chelios, Amy Smart (Road Trip) as Eve Lydon, Jose Pablo Cantillo (The Walking Dead) as Ricky Verona, Efren Ramirez (Napoleon Dynamite) as Kaylo, Dwight Yoakam (Sling Blade) as Doc Miles, Bai Ling (The Crow) as Ria, Clifton Collins Jr. (Capote) as El Huron, and David Carradine (Kill Bill) as Poon Dong.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
The Matrix
Mad Max
Blade Runner
Dune
Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Were the ‘Crank’ Movies Successful?
The movies were modest successes, with the first one performing better relative to its budget, grossing about $42.9 million worldwide against a reported $12 million budget, which is a strong return and shows exactly why it got a pretty quick sequel. Crank: High Voltage followed with about $34.6 million worldwide against a reported $13.5 million budget, so it was still a success too, just not quite as much. But you can’t argue with the numbers, as modest as they are. And critically, the movies landed in “we’re not sure if these are crimes against cinema or utter genius” territory. For us, the latter. Crank holds a 62% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, while Crank: High Voltage sits a little higher at 64%. The thing is, when a key plot point involves having the main character put in a position where they must fornicate publicly in front of a crowd or else their heart will explode, it’s hard to do anything but laugh and go with it.
Crank and Crank 2: High Voltage are streaming for free on Pluto this month.
