In the 2006 film “Crank,” the hitman who must keep his adrenaline high is named Chev Chelios.
Chev Chelios is a Los Angeles-based English hitman played by Jason Statham. After Ricky Verona injects him with a fictional poison known as the Beijing Cocktail, Chelios learns that the substance interferes with his adrenaline and will eventually stop his heart. To stay alive, he must keep himself in a constant state of excitement, danger, and physical exertion while searching for an antidote and pursuing the people who betrayed him.
The premise turns ordinary action-movie behavior into a medical-sounding survival strategy: Chelios starts fights, drives recklessly, takes drugs, uses epinephrine, and seeks other intense stimulation. The film intentionally treats this exaggerated condition as part of its frantic, darkly comic style rather than as a realistic medical case.
Chelios is sometimes confused with Statham characters from other films, especially Frank Martin from The Transporter. John Wick and Jason Bourne are also famous action heroes, but neither is the protagonist of Crank. The film was followed by Crank: High Voltage in 2009.