Crank is a 2006 American action film directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (in their directorial debut). It stars Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Efren Ramirez and Dwight Yoakam. The title of the film comes from a slang word for methamphetamine. In the film, Chev Chelios (Statham), a LA–based assassin, is poisoned by a synthetic drug and must keep his adrenaline flowing constantly to keep himself alive, while trying to track down the culprits responsible for poisoning him. It was followed by a sequel titled Crank: High Voltage.