REEL CRITICS:Violent and gritty ‘Crank’ ups the action

A man is covertly infected with a slow-acting poison that has no antidote and is guaranteed to kill him in a short period of time. He has only a matter of hours to decide what to do with his final time on earth. The 1950 film noir classic “DOA” starring Edmond O’Brien was the first major Hollywood screenplay to use this premise.

“Crank” is the modern, R-rated version of this plot device, taking it to the nasty extremes allowed by contemporary cinema. It’s a gritty, hard-hitting film that takes no prisoners and shoots anyone who gets in its way. Jason Statham plays the central character, a mob hit man turned poison victim with muscular style. He uses brute force and gunfire to get back at everyone who might have been involved in his fatal dilemma.

The twist in this story is that the poison can’t stop his heart as long as he keeps his adrenaline pumping. This fact requires constant manic madness on the screen.

Statham goes from one ultra-violent encounter to another, with many cans of Red Bull, stolen drugs and sex fueling his essential adrenalin rush. Amy Smart is the scantily clad babe who pops up whenever needed. The blood and gore are tempered with strange comedy touches that only add to the bizarre nature of the whole enterprise.

“Crank” is film noir on LSD with a bindle of crystal meth thrown in for added effect.

The opening shot of “Half Nelson” shows Dan (Ryan Gosling) sitting like a zombie on his dingy apartment floor as his alarm goes off. He has evidently been up all night doing some hard partying.

He rubs his eyes and goes to his job at an inner city junior high, teaching history in a thoroughly engaging manner to a rapt audience. Hours later, eyes still bloodshot, he coaches the girls’ basketball team. Once school’s out, he begins another evening of substance abuse.

In spite of his self-destructive path, Dan is extremely bright and really cares about his students. He forms a special connection with one of them, a smart, quiet girl named Drea (Shareeka Epps) who’s seen far too much of life for her young years. When she finds Dan all strung out, crack pipe in hand, you can feel the disillusionment and shame on both sides. Yet she doesn’t say anything, just accepts it and helps him to his feet.

“Half Nelson” is an engrossing drama about people trying to keep a grip on life in spite of many temptations. Shot on a no-frills budget with a documentary feel, this is an impressive feature film debut for director Ryan Fleck, who also co-wrote the script.

The performances by Gosling and Epps are amazing in their low-key approach to making their characters so vulnerable and honest. This movie has no grand heroics or speeches, and nothing is explained or resolved, yet it manages to end on a hopeful note.

‘Half Nelson’ holds audience with honestyRight from the start, you know that Dan Dunne is in trouble.