CPR can’t help keep Jason Statham alive in Crank: High Voltage, but it worked wonders by keeping these movie characters from giving up their on-screen ghosts.
The Abyss
The Scene: When Lindsey Brigman’s (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) heart stops beating, the crew nearly give up hope after meds and jolts from the defribulator prove ineffective. Virgil Brigman (Ed Harris), however, isn’t ready to let her go.
How CPR Worked: You won’t find many handbooks with instructions on how to slap and yell at someone until they come back to life. It worked in this case, though.
The Matrix Reloaded
The Scene: Unable to give up on saving Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), Neo (Keanu Reeves) does his best Superman impression and grabs her right before she smashes into the street below.
How CPR Worked: He reaches into her body (ala the Witch Doctor from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and pumps her heart until it beats again. He’s like Kano from Mortal Kombat, only friendlier.
Casino Royale
The Scene: A poker game turns deadly for James Bond (Daniel Craig) when one of the players poisons his drink, sending him into cardiac arrest.
How CPR Worked: If he was driving a Camry, he probably wouldn’t have made it. But luckily, Bond’s Aston Martin has every fancy gadget he could need, including a portable defibrillator. Talk about thinking ahead MI6.
Mission Impossible IIIThe Scene: With a tiny bomb implanted in his head, Ethan (Tom Cruise) decides to electrocute himself in order to destroy it. That leaves his wife (Michelle Monaghan) to protect his unconscious body from the horde of bad guys swarming around them.
How CPR Worked: Before electrifying himself, Ethan gives his wife a crash course in killing. After the bad guys are disposed, she gives him the kiss of life.
CrankThe Scene: Pick one. With a dying, non-robotic heart, Statham’s ticker is in constant need of TLC.
How CPR Worked: A blast from some defrib paddles motivates Statham's heart to keep pumping so he can continue running around like a maniac, killing mobsters and having sex on crowded streets.
Beerfest
The Scene: After an intense night of, um, preparation for Beerfest, Phil "Landfill" Krundle (Kevin Heffernan) winds up passed out by his refrigerator.
How CPR Worked: Luckily his wife comes down to find him there and does exactly what she is supposed to do: Call 911 and perform CPR. He’s lucky she can save him, but she ends up having a less-than-fortunate encounter with some ham that was stuck in Landfill’s throat.
Jurassic ParkThe Scene: If the T-Rex and Raptors weren’t enough to worry about, Dr. Grant (Dr. Alan Grant) and his two kid companions are forced to climb down an inactive electric fence before the power turns back on. Unfortunately, Timmy (Joseph Mazzello) wasn’t quick enough and the jolt of electricity shoots him off the fence and out of commission.
How CPR Worked: Good thing the kids had a doctor with them, otherwise Timmy wouldn’t have stood a chance with his screaming sister (Ariana Richards) trying to resuscitate him.
A Very Brady Sequel
The Scene: Greg Brady (Christopher Daniel Barnes) tries his hand at surfing, only to have the board toss him into the ocean, rendering him unconscious.
How CPR Worked: Greg’s sister, Marcia (Christine Taylor) is on scene to administer mouth-to-mouth and inspire a whole new wave of lame Brady incest jokes.
