Crank might end on a bittersweet note for Jason Statham’s hitman Chev Chelios, but it still set up a sequel. This Jason Statham action movie opens with Chev waking in his apartment, and soon learning that his rival Ricky Verona (Jose Pablo Cantillo) has injected him with a slow-acting poison. This inhibits adrenaline and will eventually kill him, but Chev realizes if he keeps his flow of adrenaline pumping by performing outrageous acts, he’ll extend his lifespan. He thus makes it his mission to kill Verona before he dies while keeping his girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart) safe from harm.
Crank follows Chev as he kills his way up the food chain, andlearnsg from his kindly doctor Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam) there is no antidote to the poison. The final showdown has Chev face off against Ricky and his henchmen, ending with the two fighting in a helicopter over Los Angeles. The duo fall out of the chopper together, with Chev snapping Ricky’s neck during their death dive. Chev has enough time to call Eve to say goodbye before he hits the ground.
Does Chev Chelios Die In Crank’s Finale?
Crank’s ending was intended to be conclusive
Considering the poison was meant to kill Chev within the hour, many characters comment on his unwillingness to die. Even Doc Miles is shocked he hasn’t dropped dead from all the drugs he’s consumed and injuries he’s suffered. However, Chev definitively dies from his fall in Crank’s ending, where he hits a car and bounces off the roof. While his heart is heard beating one final time, the intention is that he dies when the movie cuts to credits.
Had there only been one movie, Chev’s story would have ended with his fall from the helicopter, but his condition improves remarkably when Crank 2: High Voltage opens.
Still, following Crank’s release, audiences debated whether Chev could have somehow survived his fatal plunge. After all, he absorbs a fairly inhuman amount of damage throughout the story but keeps dusting himself off. Had there only been one Crank movie, Chev’s story would have ended with his fall from the helicopter, but his condition improves remarkably when Crank 2: High Voltage opens.
The Meaning Behind Chev’s Call To Eve
Crank gets introspective in its final moments
Most Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor-directed movies, including Gamer, revel in bad-taste humor and gleeful carnage. Crank is no exception, with the wanton destruction Chev leaves in his wake making the film feel like a live-action Grand Theft Auto. Still, the story has tender moments, including Chev’s genuine love for Eve. The film doesn’t have time to slow down often – considering Chelios is literally racing to stay alive – which makes the handful of emotional beats hit a little harder.
After he’s finally killed Ricky, Crank’s final moments see Chev call Eve as he falls to Earth, telling her “You’re the greatest, baby.” Amid his fight to stay breathing, Chev reflects on how he’s been racing his entire life and wishes he’d taken more time to figure out what he wanted. Unfortunately, his realization that he just wanted to be with Eve and leave his life of violence came too late. He makes peace with his fate, however, with his revenge mission being complete.
Is Crank’s “Beijing Cocktail” Poison Real?
The “Chinese poison” is fatal once injected
Thankfully, Crank’s “Beijing Cocktail” is a fictional drug, although Chev’s condition mirrors a real-life condition called adrenal crisis.
In Crank’s opening, Chev is told Verona has injected him with the “Beijing Cocktail,” a syntectic drug that inhibits the adrenal glands and will eventually lead to death. To keep alive, Chev resorts to increasingly desperate measures, including snorting bottles of nasal spray (a tip he received during Chester Bennington’s Crank hilarious cameo), injecting himself with epinephrine and even having sex in public. All of these give him boosts of adrenaline and stave off the dizziness and nausea that quickly overtake him when his condition worsens.
Thankfully, Crank’s “Beijing Cocktail” is a fictional drug, although Chev’s condition mirrors a real-life condition called adrenal crisis (via National Library of Medicine). This is caused when the adrenal glands don’t produce enough of the hormone cortisol and left unchecked, produce symptoms like those felt by Statham’s protagonist. If left untreated, adrenal crisis can lead to seizures, a coma or death via shock. In Chev’s case, once the poison has been injected it binds with his system, meaning death is inevitable and there is no antidote.
Why Didn’t Chelios Kill Triad Boss Don Kim?
Chev’s act of mercy is what dooms him in Crank
Chev’s poisoning is said to be vengeance for his assassination of Triad boss Don Kim (Keone Young). The Triads were moving in on terrority owed by Chev’s boss Carlito (Carlos Sanz), who in return sent Chelios to kill Don Kim. Despite having the gun pointed at his head, Chev has a change of heart and spares Don Kim, asking that in exchange for letting him live, the boss will disappear for two days. Having little option but to compile, Don Kim agrees.
Towards the end of Crank, Chev confesses to Eve he let Don Kim live because he is tired of killing, and planned to run away with her. His plan may have worked too, if Verona hadn’t broken into his apartment and injected him with the Beijing Cocktail. Don Kim at least returns Chev’s favor by aiding him in the final battle.
Why Did Chev’s Boss Betray Him?
Carlito becomes Crank’s final boss
Chev presumes his boss Carlito will be a tad more sympathetic when he comes to him for help following his poisoning. Instead, Carlito seems amused his assassin is still alive, and reveals his impending death should help ease tensions with the Triads after Don Kim’s “death.” It turns out that Verona was ordered to kill Chev by Carlito, with Ricky set to become Chelio’s replacement
Crank’s ending thus sees Chelios trying to kill both men, with Carlito being shocked when Don Kim arrives to aid Chev. Carlito thought he was outsmarting everybody with his little scheme, but between Chev unexpectedly sparing the Triad boss to not simply killing Chelios with a bullet to the head, his ego caused his empire to come crashing down.
Crank’s Post-Credit Scene Explained
Crank’s video game inspirations become literal
Crank had a post-credit scene before comic book movies made it cool, with the 2006 movie’s stinger underlining its video game DNA. The basic premise feels like an arcade game in many ways, and Crank’s brief post-credit scene reimagines Chev in an arcade game, shooting people and picking up injections before his heart eventually explodes. Many critics have drawn parallels between the Statham movie and the likes of Grand Theft Auto, so this little animated sequence is a fun nod to those similarities.
Chev’s Final Moments Accidentally Set Up Crank 2: High Voltage
Crank’s hero has a lot of heart, as High Voltage proved
When Crank ends, the movie’s hero is very much dead. Regardless, Crank 2: High Voltage opens with the assassin being scraped from the road with a shovel and waking up months later. The sequel reveals Chev’s unstoppable heart has been removed and placed in the body of an ailing Triad, while Chelios has been implanted with an artificial replacement. To keep his new heart beating, he has to constantly shock himself to power it with electricity.
Crank may have ended with Chelios dead, but his durability and the fact his heart was still beating in the final scene set up his High Voltage resurrection. Of course, even if his heart was still pumping, the fall still should have broken all his bones and turned his innards into paste, but Crank 2 wisely doesn’t bother to address any of that. The sequel fully embraces video game logic and campiness, abandoning any attempt the original made to feel grounded.