Man Up!
Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are two of the most exciting filmmakers working today. A number of factors contribute to this, their ambitiously dangerous camerawork, their dogged craftsmanship and their comedic timing.
But chiefly it’s because they’re nuts. As in totally batsh*t insane!
We at Click can certainly dig on this. And with only four titles under their respective directorial belts, a pattern already emerges. Their wit, imagination and scope notwithstanding, it’s typically the promise of similarly bonkers leads that draws flocks to the latest
Neveldine/Taylor production.
These two nutters go out of their way to headline their projects with magnetic, arresting and most importantly, memorable protagonists. Case in point: Despite widespread disappointment with 2007’s
Ghost Rider,
Nick Cage remains the lead for this February’s
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
And if you need to ask why*, then clearly
Neveldine and
Taylor aren’t the only ones with a screw loose.
*
Nick Cage is fantastic is why!
So with the impending release of
Ghost Rider, I’ve decided a comparison was in order, between the three male leads
Neveldine/Taylor have entrusted their legacy to.
Gerard Butler
As Kable in Gamer (2009)
The black sheep of the
Neveldine/Taylor creative efforts,
Gamer was an (overly) ambitious commentary on the state of both the judicial system and the technological/games industry. And though Daniel quite enjoyed it, I’d maintain it doesn’t make for the most entertaining, let alone coherent, romp.
Still,
Gamer bristles with action and the dynamic duo must have decided
Gerard Butler, fresh from his heroic turn in
300, made an ideal player. An odd decision, considering the deliriously bonkers
Terry Crews was right there, underutilized in a minor role.
Unlike Blaze or Chelios, Kable is played totally straight, which is my buzz word for BORING! Sure his physicality lent an air of authenticity to the clumsy action, however his solemn tone and reluctance to inject any whimsy into the bland character model was a disappointment. In fact he’s consistently out preformed by co-stars
Michael C Hall and the aforementioned
Old Spice Spokesman.
Butler, once a beacon of hope for manly men who prefer cheeky, shouty heroes who keep their emotion in check via punching, has never lived up to the promise of his one-time performance as Spartan Super-King Leonidas in 2007’s
300.
Shame.
Nicholas Cage
As Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)
For their latest venture,
Neveldine/Taylor conveniently secured the one man in the industry to whom the role of an aging motorcycle stuntman possessed by the flaming-skulled demonic spirit of vengeance seems a very snug fit indeed.
Rest assured
Nick Cage owns the role of Johnny Blaze! He blossoms in the surrounding insanity while more accomplished and traditionally gifted actors
Idris Elba and our own
Ciarán Hinds struggle to keep pace.
The magic of
Spirit of Vengeance isn’t its explosive effects or dynamic visuals, though naturally they electrify (this is still
Neveldine/Taylor). Instead it’s the unshakable impression that each hysterical shriek, every involuntary convulsion, all the hammy pontificating and each gag-inducing hissy-fit is but second nature to
Cage.
To play an anti-hero who rides a fiery motorbike, swings smouldering chain whips and pisses jets of molten flame, you need a performer who willing to debase himself just a little.
Now answer me as truthfully as possible, has ever a man fit this bill more than
Nick Cage?!
Jason Crank AKA Jason Statham
As Chev Chelios in Crank (2006)
&
Cranker AKA Crank 2: High Voltage AKA Crank 2: Crank Cranker! (2009)
Jason Crank is the only true action star working in Hollywood today. Sure, others dabble, but he alone is 100% dedicated to this noble cause. He’s essentially a cockney
Schwarzenegger! He’s got the build, the swagger and most important the Strawberry Tart* to stomp new life into the lifeless chest of action cinema.
*Strawberry Tart = Heart.
But for some god-forsaken reason, he seems to be stuck in the silent, brooding, calculating hit-man rut. Just look at The
Transporters, The
Mechanics, The
Killer Elites, The
Wars, etc.
This is hardly playing to the man’s skills. And trust us, Jason Crank’s skills could pay all yo bills. ALL OF THEM!
Need convincing? Watch Crank. Watch it!
Now watch it again. I’ll wait.
By now you’ll understand the issue. Jason Crank isn’t a perfectionist assassin. He’s a flippin’ lunatic, a skinhead mentaller, a cockney geezer! He’s the kind of bloke who can even get pumped to Garth Brooks!
A being of pure adrenaline, it was only a matter of time before
Neveldine and Taylor resurrected the Festival of Testosterone that was Chev Chelios and replaced his heart with a car battery. Natural progression if you ask us!
Indeed in crafting the deliciously bizarre, feverishly energetic and unquestionably brilliant
Crank Franchise,
Neveldine/Taylor not only made a name for themselves as THE nut-job directors to watch but also forged an as yet unsurpassed template for the action world’s foremost action star.**
So for innumerable gods’ sake, will someone just let
Jason Statham CRANK IT!
**I’m obviously not including
Donnie Yen. That would be nonsense!
In conclusion,
Neveldine and Taylor may not be the most proficient or experienced directors in the world. You’d struggle to find someone argue this. However their unique eccentricities have helped form some of the most memorable characters of the past decade.
If nothing else, they’ve surely proven the value in indulging in a little crazy on occasion...