Crank is a 2006 American action/thriller film, written and directed by both Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, and starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Efren Ramirez, and Dwight Yoakam. The plot centers on a British hitman in Los Angeles named Chev Chelios who is poisoned and must keep his adrenaline flowing constantly in order to keep himself alive, and in so doing causes mayhem, gets into fights with other gangsters, has altercations with the police and takes numerous drugs. The film's title comes from the slang word for methamphetamine. Produced and distributed by Lakeshore Entertainment and Lions Gate Pictures, it was released in the United States on September 1, 2006 in 2,515 theaters. The film was generally well received.