Netflix Losing Jason Statham’s Greatest Action Thriller Ever
Just like the rest of us, Netflix also makes a seasonal cleaning of its library. As part of its seasonal cleanup, Netflix also announced a list of titles that are leaving the streaming library, among which is a Jason Statham hit movie, Crank, released back in 2006. Oh, how the time flies.
Jason Statham’s Crank is scheduled to leave Netflix on December 31, 2023, so those who haven’t feasted their eyes on one of the best R-rated action films ever made should hurry up and stream the movie while it’s still available. Crank isn’t the only movie that’s leaving Netflix either; the film’s sequel, 2009’s Crank: High Voltage, is also leaving the platform, along with a plethora of other titles. The list includes releases such as 8 Mile, Catch Me If You Can, Field of Dreams, Gladiator, several Jaws and Mission: Impossible films, Saving Private Ryan, Scarface, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Crank, for those who haven’t watched the film, is one of Jason Statham’s rawer, bloodier works, filled with drugs and violence—but not for the drug and violence’s sake, but for the sake of survival. The star of the movie, a hitman by the name of Chev Chelios—portrayed by Statham—wakes up poisoned by some kind of Chinese cocktail poison for which there’s no antidote. The only way for Chelios to stay alive is to maintain a high level of adrenaline in his body by any means necessary, and the protagonist does not shy away from doing just that.
Driving through a mall, stealing artificial adrenaline from a hospital in a heist-like fashion, having sex in public, and murderous rampage on a path to revenge are all on the lists of things Jason Statham’s character does throughout the film just to stay alive. To be entirely honest, we’ve already seen films that feature this kind of scene, but what makes Crank different is its back-to-back action, and it is really difficult trying to picture anyone but Statham in the role too, considering that the actor has been synonymous with over-the-top action movies in the past two decades.
In the end, Crank‘s assaultive style and gleeful depravity made the movie a success, which managed to garner north of $42 million on a mere $12 million budget. It also spawned a sequel movie that didn’t fare as well at the box office, but it did charm the audiences just as well as the first film, proving, once again, that Jason Statham is a top action movie star. Interestingly enough, the second film also left room for a sequel, but that never happened, mainly due to profitability concerns and high expectations set by the first two movies.
Nonetheless, Crank remains one of Jason Statham’s best movies, with over-the-top action that’s rarely matched by other releases. Even The Expendables weren’t as over-the-top, and those movies have more explosions and special effects than all of Michael Bay’s movies combined. Those interested in watching Jason Statham’s Crank can stream the movie on Netflix before it disappears from the platform on December 31, 2023.
