Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Torque

MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for violence, sexuality, language and drug references.

Reviewed by: Brett Willis
STAFF WRITER

Moral Rating: Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Mature Teen to Adult
Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller
Length: 1 hr. 21 min.
Year of Release: 2004
USA Release:
Copyright, Warner Bros. Copyright, Warner Bros.
Featuring Martin Henderson, Ice Cube, Monet Mazur, Matt Schulze, Jay Hernandez, Will Yun Lee, Jaime Pressly, Adam Scott, Justina Machado
Director Joseph Kahn
Producer Brad Luff, Neal H. Moritz
Distributor Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures. Trademark logo.Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

I’m not a fan of biker movies; I saw this film only because it was an assignment. But it impressed me as being bad even within its genre. And I see that a number of other writers agree. One reviewer wrote that it’s worse than a straightforward Roger Corman type biker movie, because it’s exploitative and yet it tries to take itself seriously.

Cary Ford (Martin Henderson, “The Ring,” “Windtalkers”), a non-gang biker and the hero of the story, has been in Thailand for the last six months because the heat was on him from the Feds. But now he’s returned home, to make things right with girlfriend Shane (Monet Mazur) and to settle the score with drug-running biker Henry James (Matt Schulze), the leader of the Hellions.

There are two ways this story could be played out. Deep character development with the bike culture as a backdrop, or nonstop over-the-top action. Which path do you suppose the director took? Hint: It’s a January release.

Copyright, Warner Bros.

As you can guess, things will go wrong many times before it’s all sorted out. There’ll be Hispanic and Asian sidekicks for the good white guy. The Hellions, a white gang, just love to deal drugs. But a black biker gang named the Reapers, led by Trey (Ice Cube), refuses any drug involvement (except for Trey’s weak-willed little brother).

There’s a murder with a motorcycle drive chain, a frame-up, a crooked cop, some wet t-shirts, some bikini-clad women rubbing themselves up against bikers and bikes, some arm-wrestling, some passionate kissing and implied casual sex (without explicit nudity), and an unintelligible rap music background. Gunplay, knifeplay, fistfights, and the use of bikes as weapons. About fifty profanities (including racial slurs, and one occurrence of f* used in reference to the police). A huge dose of ridiculous stunts (part live-action, part retouched, part computer-generated), such as jumping bikes onto a moving train and then off again. And some unbelievably cheesy dialogue.

In the few recent-release biker gang films I’ve seen, the bikes and outfits tend not to be much different from those in films of thirty years ago (at least to a casual observer like myself). Harley-Davidson type bikes; black leathers. But here, many of the bikes are advanced-technology speed machines (one of the film’s terms is “crotch rockets”) and the leathers are near-Dayglo colors. Many of the gang members even wear helmets.

Rather than divide screen time between fights and bike stunts, the good guys and bad guys often fight while performing bike stunts. Sometimes at 200 MPH, in heavy traffic. Uh-huh. And while Ford is in a climactic battle with Henry, Shane squares off with Henry’s multi-pierced, switchblade-toting girlfriend China (Jaime Pressly).

If you’re a fan of films with maximum formula and minimum plot, you’ll love this one. It’s so stupid that I can’t think of any spiritual parallels or any other redeeming value to extract from it. In my opinion, it’s a total waste of your time and money.

Violence: Extreme | Profanity: Heavy | Sex/Nudity: Moderate


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Negative—I have been around motorcycles most of my life, and naturally when a bike film comes out, I am drawn to it like a bee is to honey. I thought the rating was WAY OFF on this film. Too much about drugs, fighting, dead, shooting people, motorcycle gangs the whole thing. I also thought the major chase scene had too much computer enhancement in it that made the movie more animated than real. BUT, the saddest part is that this type of film will cause a rush of fanatics to by these “crotch rockets” and think they are the next Evil Knievel and many will loose their life in the process. I can speak from experience from many years of motorcycle racing at the professional level. But God has a way of using these “life experiences” to allow us as believers to tell others, “where not to do and what not to do.” So overall I give this film a “thumbs down.”
My Ratings: [2]
Tim Coats, age 49
Negative—This movie was not well made and contained nothing of value. There was much profanity and “tough-guy” violence. Its a typical biker gang movie—nothing of value to live by. Don’t see it.
My Ratings: [Very Offensive/1½]
Jim Vanden Heuvel, age 37
Comments from young people
Neutral—“Torque” felt like the same movie as the Fast and the Furious with motorcycles. That’s not bad if you liked the Fast and the Furious, which I did, but, many people will feel like they are in a bad remake of the “Fast and the Furious”. At the start of Torque it looks like the movie is going no where. Then, finally, a plot begins to unfold and the movie picks up. “Torque” is filled with violence, language and some sexual content. I enjoyed this movie but, feel that it is not suitable for ages under 15.
My Ratings: [Very Offensive/3½]
Jordan, age 16