Torque

What's the Plot?

Cary Ford (Martin Henderson) has been away from his hometown for 6 months. He skipped town just before the FBI, led by Agent McPherson (Adam Scott), came looking for him. Carey was holding onto several motorcycles belonging to the leader of the Hellions biker gang and known drug dealer, Henry (Matt Schulze) which held more than fuel in their gas tanks. Carey not only left the bikes and the FBI behind, but his girlfriend, Shane (Monet Mazur),
without so much as a good-bye. Now he wants to set the record straight but it won't be that easy. Ford wants to clear his name with the FBI, but to do that he must prove that the bikes and their contents, are Henry's, who desperately wants them back. When Ford refuses to give up their location since they're his only bargaining tool, Henry kills the younger brother of Trey (Ice Cube), the fearsome leader of the Reapers motorcycle gang, and frames Ford for it. Now Ford has found himself on the run from not only the FBI, but two of the most feared motorcycle gangs with only a handful of friends to help him stay one step ahead and out of jail... or a coffin-shaped hole in the ground.

The Review

Strange but true; some films are so bad that they're good! Torque easily fits into that category, but to be fair to it, there is another reason that puts it into the file marked watchable. That reason is simply that it's fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously and for that, it easily leaps over previous efforts connected with fuel-injected adrenaline fixes that have been put upon the screen of late. The "life is mean on the streets, and so are we" posturing of both The Fast And The Furious and Biker Boyz has been done away with in favour of a simple old-fashioned Western with 2 wheeled-power replacing 4 legged horse power.

That and the fact that the horses where never forced to fight head-to-head by an over-pass with their front legs skimming past the other riders head by centimetres with 2 tight-leathered beautiful women astride them with their hair doing amazing things when the obligatory slo-mo moments kick in! But anyway, I digress! Even with all the ridiculous stunts and OTT set-pieces, it all works because there's always a hint that everyone's tongue is placed firmly in cheek. So, when Ice Cube chases Henderson atop a moving train, jumping from carriage to carriage, then somehow miraculously moving to the inside of the train to continue the chase, you're never asked to take it seriously. Just sit back, enjoy your popcorn and await the next preposterous stunt or stunningly beautiful person to roar past the screen in Technicolor glory.

The characters are not from Shakespeare and neither is their dialogue - "I live my life one 1/4 mile at a time"... "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" - but then, it knows it and doesn't pretend to be anything else but a "boys with their toys" flick. If you've seen the other 2/4 wheel movies, you'll love this. If not, get a little tipsy before and just sit back and
enjoy the testosterone!

STEVE'S SCORES

Girl's point of view

Boy's point of view