With its in-your-face style and non-stop camera movement, you certainly can’t call &#8220Crank” boring.

You can call it crude, offensive, excessive and ugly.

This hyperactive thriller could have worked if it was played for laughs, but &#8220Crank” fails to realize its material is too ridiculous to be taken straightforward – resulting in one of the more unsettling movie experiences of the year.

Jason Statham stars as Chev Chelios, a hit man who learns he was injected with a poison that will kill him when his heart rate drops below a certain point.

But Chev isn’t ready to die just yet.

The hit man turns vigilante in his quest to exact revenge on the people responsible.

&#8220Crank” gets credit for being one of the most visually original films of the year. Co-directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor pepper the film with funky camera angles, weird visuals and sped-up camera motions that make the audience feel they are drugged as well. At times, the style works. But at times, such as a scene where subtitles are shown at different angles depending on what point of view the camera angle is, it’s just absurd.

The biggest problem with &#8220Crank” is it is full of ugly characters who make it hard to have a rooting interest. Chelios isn’t supposed to be a likable guy, but the character is too nasty to care about.

Then there are a couple of scenes I found unsettling. One involves Chelios visiting a group of gang bangers I found to be racially offensive. The other is a scene where he has sex with his girlfriend (played by Amy Smart, an actress who deserves roles better than this junk) in the middle of Chinatown that just made me uncomfortable.

It’s moments like this that made me wish I could be injected with a drug that would make me completely forget my &#8220Crank” experience.

DVD dandy of the week

This week’s dandy is &#8220Lucky Number Slevin” (A-) – a bloody romp full of rich characters and performances. Writer Jason Smilovic and director Paul McGuigan have created a great homage to film noir so self-aware it makes the film much more enjoyable.

&#8220Slevin” follows an unlucky young man named Slevin (Josh Hartnett) who gets caught in the middle of a mob war after a case of mistaken identity.

Both crime bosses (Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley) are convinced that Slevin owes them money and seek to collect their debts one way or another – leaving Slevin with the daunting task of figuring out how to get out of the situation alive.

&#8220Slevin” features a great cast. In addition to Hartnett, Freeman and Kingsley, the film features Bruce Willis as an assassin, Stanley Tucci as a cop trying to bring down both mob bosses, and Lucy Liu as a neighbor trying to help Slevin clear his name.

All these characters and performances come together, thanks to Smilovic and McGuigan. Smilovic’s script is captivating, with just enough twists and turns to keep the audience interested. I’ll admit that some of the plot turns are predictable, but others came as a complete surprise – making the final scenes more enjoyable.

McGuigan’s direction is sharp as well. It is clear he is a fan of film noir, with &#8220Slevin” unfolding in a visually appealing manner. The director also does a good job of keeping the twists hidden with inventive flashbacks, rewarded with a clever payoff.

There are times when &#8220Slevin” may feel like it has a few too many pieces, but the puzzle actually comes together perfectly – making &#8220Lucky Number Slevin” one of 2006’s most pleasant surprises.

&#8220Lucky Number Slevin” is rated R for strong violence, sexuality, and language and is available on DVD on Tuesday.