Torque Review
by Laura Clifford (laura AT reelingreviews DOT com)January 16th, 2004
TORQUE
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After a six month stint in Thailand evading a false drug distribution charge, Ford (New Zealander Martin Henderson, "The Ring") has returned to settle his score with the real perpetrator, Hellion gang leader Henry (Matt Schulze, "The Fast and the Furious"), and explain his absence to his bike-maintenance shop owning girlfriend Shane (Monet Mazur, "Just Married"). Ford needs the support of his loyal buddies Val (Will Yun Lee, "Die Another Day") and Dalton (Jay Hernandez, "Crazy/Beautiful") after Henry sets him up for the murder of rival Reaper leader Trey's (Ice Cube, "Barbershop") brother Junior (Fredro Starr, "Save the Last Dance"). With F.B.I. Agent McPherson (Adam Scott, "High Crimes") back on his trail as well, Ford's lucky he's got "Torque."
Video director Joseph Kahn jumps right into the action of Matt Johnson's lean and self-aware script and dares his audience to keep up with the fast pace. The story is nothing new although the frenzied visuals sometimes make it incomprehensible. "Torque" barely gets by with its genre mockery, hot babes, tough guys and amazing motorcycles, but squeaks by with enough entertainment for the "Fast and Furious" enthusiasts.
Cinematographer Peter Levy ("Lost in Space") starts off well enough establishing vast desert landscapes dotted with truck stops and energy-producing windmills. Ford rides up to a diner like the man with no name, establishes his mission, engages in fisticuffs and reassembles his posse. Then "Torque" twists into the familiar of "Fast and Furious" and "Biker Boyz," where bikers rally and babes posture.
Ford rewoos Shane with a motorcycle chase through the crowded streets. 'You were never funny,' Shane retorts to his weak stab at humor. Moments later, Ford's in a faceoff with Trey, who informs him that he's a very funny guy. Screenwriter Johnson studs "Torque" throughout with this type of dialogue and scores a couple of times - when Trey's woman speaks her only line of dialogue ("I love you" has rarely had such myriad subtexts) and when Agent McPherson's mid-chase scene "Let's go!" speech's bubble is burst by partner Henderson's (Justina Machado, "Final Destination 2") calm reminder that they have yet to pay for their gas. The rest of the time, "Torque" goes through genre motions, staging increasingly outlandish chase scenes that finally implode into a conclusion so CGI-heavy it may as well be a video game. Genre enthusiasts will probably enjoy a catfight between 'good girl' Shane and Henry's goth-punk moll China (Jaime Pressly, "Not Another Teen Movie") where the two practically joust on bikes (shades of Romero's 1981 "Knightriders").
The cast are all game and well suited to their roles. Relative newcomer Henderson, who resembles a cross between Kurt Russell and a young Baldwin brother, proves tougher than he initially looks and shoulders the film. Love interest Mazur blends sassy 'tude with a sexy femininity. Yun Lee is a humorously sly laid back ladies' man while Hernandez, stepping back into the mix after his lead "Crazy/Beautiful" breakout, is mostly enthusiastic. The always reliable Cube is solid, although almost upstaged by his charismatic pit bull Dojo. Schulze, sporting a sculpted mullet, is intimidating and Pressly is all sneering nose ring. Adam Scott gives his F.B.I. guy a goofiness even while he's meaning business.
"Torque" rarely features a cut lasting longer than 10 seconds (editors David Blackburn and Howard E. Smith must have been highly caffeinated), which doesn't give the actors a lot of time to add depth or for Levy to show off - one gets the feeling that stunts are being shored up with distracting magician's tricks. The heavy metal soundtrack is appropriate if sometimes overwhelming.
While more entertaining than last year's "Biker Boyz," "Torque" ultimately is little more than a showcase for its stylish leatherwear and supercharged hogs, including the rare Y2K (only 10 exist). It goes up in a puff of smoke faster than Ford's exhaust.
C
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