In theaters

CRANK written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, 83 minutes, Rated R.

The new Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor movie “Crank” might be inspired by the 1950 film “D.O.A.,” but really it’s more of a sly, hard-core throwback to the action films of the 1970s when political correctness didn’t alter creative thought and the movies, as such, were a lot looser to watch.

Looser doesn’t necessarily mean better, though without the presence of a filter, there’s no question that the films “Crank” is trying to emulate had a raw edge that many of today’s movies lack.

Since it’s that very edge that also tended to offend, whether it was through the use of blood violence, racial stereotypes or in the negative treatment of women, what Neveldine and Taylor present here is twofold – a satire of those films as well as a homage to them. They’re playing with the conventions of the genre, they’re honored to do so, and they’re happy that everyone here is in on the game.

The film stars Jason Statham as Chev Chelios, a hit man who begins the film in what should be the final, deadly throes of a Beijing Cocktail. No, that isn’t a fancy drink with a pretty paper umbrella, but a toxin injected into Chev’s neck by the toughs who want him dead.

In a helpful DVD the men leave for Chev, he’s told he has only an hour to live. So naturally Chev kicks into high gear, only to learn that the more aggressive he becomes, the better he feels. His doctor (Dwight Yoakam, terrific) gives him an explanation for his condition that comes down to this – there is no cure for the toxin, though increased doses of adrenalin will keep Chev alive, at least for a time. Since Chev is determined to seek his revenge before he dies, he becomes an adrenalin junkie, chugging Red Bull and snorting cocaine on bathroom floors only to slow down (briefly) when the film introduces his clueless girlfriend, Eve (Amy Smart).

Throughout “Crank,” Neveldine and Taylor take so many R-rated risks they create a movie that makes you feel as if you’ve been slapped by a stranger – you’re startled by the violence, surprised by the chutzpah, and maybe, as this movie sees it, a little turned on.

The film is overstylized to the point that it becomes a video game with a deliciously cheesy soundtrack that matches the quick-cut editing. Statham (“The Transporter”) remains dependable in the genre – he has the action hero’s swift kick, gravelly voice, and tight-fisted gate down pat. Better yet, what’s starting to come through all that stubble is a sense of humor, a trace of a personality, and now there is the hint that he might be able to act. If he couldn’t, how else could he keep a straight face in what proves to be one of this summer’s most ridiculous guilty pleasures?

Grade: B+

On DVD

KINKY BOOTS directed by Julian Jarrold, written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, 106 minutes, rated PG-13.

Julian Jarrold’s “Kinky Boots” is about a towering, torch-song-singing drag queen named Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor) whose influence on a struggling English shoe manufacturer puts the Hush Puppy, so to speak, on all things conservative.

There will be no flats or sandals where Lola is involved. Proper dress shoes? Forget it. Looking for a clog? Go to Holland. What this queen wants are kinky boots – comfortable, well-made kinky boots – the sort designed to support the weight of a man who dresses to perform as a woman.

The boots must be shocking (“Give me sex!”), yards of patent leather should be employed (“Give me red!”), and a good idea is to have at the calf a little stitched pocket into which one can tuck a whip. You know, for effect. Also – and this probably goes without saying – but anything in faux leopard fur with a 7-inch stiletto heel would be plum, if only to add dice to what Lola sees as a long-overlooked niche – the drag queen, cross-dressing shoe market.

Enter Joel Edgerton’s Charlie Price, the young man struggling to save his dead father’s respected (and bankrupt) shoe manufacturing plant. Charlie hails from Northamptonshire, which is exactly the sort of uptight, repressed blue-collar town favored in so many of today’s popular British comedies. Since tolerance, understanding and a whole lot of loosening up are what these movies court, Charlie finds in his desperation that Lola is an inspiration. He hires her to design boots, a bold move that creates its share of tension among the grim factory workers – and then a kind of release.

Based on the true story of the real Kinky Boot Factory in Northamptonshire, England, “Kinky Boots” steams and sighs, thanks mostly to its terrific performance by the dewy-lipped Ejiofor. True, the actor plays Lola as perhaps the most family-friendly drag queen ever – Lola barely has a whiff of sexuality, which is a cop-out. Still, she does have that presence, there is fun to be had in her thirst for a good performance in great shoes, and by the end of the movie, when she’s doing the catwalk down a Milan runway, well, just try not enjoying the show.

Grade: B+

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays in Discovering, Fridays in Happening, and Weekends in Television. Reach him at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.