Torque (film)

Torque is a 2004 American action film directed by Joseph Kahn (in his feature film directorial debut), written by Matt Johnson and produced by Neal H. Moritz. The film stars Adam Scott, Martin Henderson, Ice Cube, Monet Mazur, Jaime Pressly, Will Yun Lee, Jay Hernandez, Matt Schulze, Max Beesley, Fredro Starr and Christina Milian. The film tells the story of biker Cary Ford (Martin Henderson) and how he discovers some motorcycles filled with crystal meth, he stows them away. But it turns out that villainous gangster Henry James (Matt Schulze) has plans to recover his drugs. James frames Ford for the murder of Junior (Fredro Starr), the brother of Trey (Ice Cube), who heads the Reapers, a notoriously malicious biker gang. Ford goes on the run in an attempt to clear his name, while the FBI and multiple groups of motorcycle-mounted marauders chase after him.

Torque was theatrically released on January 16, 2004 in the United States. The film underperformed at the box office, grossing $46.5 million worldwide against production budget of $40 million, and received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, with common criticisms regarding the performances, writing and direction, though the action sequences were singled out for praise. It was nominated for several Taurus Awards for its stunts.

Plot
Biker Cary Ford stops at a diner owned by his ex-girlfriend Shane. He then goes back outside and two street racers who earlier did not let him pass arrive. The three get into a fight with Ford winning. Later, Ford meets up with his best friends Dalton and Val. En route to a motorcycle party, they encounter the Reapers, a black biker gang consisting of leader Trey and his brother Junior, who get into a scuffle with Ford.

At the party, Ford sees Shane, who is mad that he left. Biker gang the Hellions then pulls up. It includes leader Henry James, his girlfriend China and his right-hand man Luther. Henry is irate at Ford for stealing his bikes (which contain crystal meth). He gives Ford an ultimatum until sundown to return the bikes.

That night, Ford and his friends arrive at a nightclub where biker gangs hang out. The three gangs run into each other and cause a brawl. Scared, Junior runs into the bathroom to find the Hellions there. Junior apologizes to Henry for being unable to pay him back for a botched drug deal (which Trey refused to allow earlier) and begs Henry to give him time to work it out. Henry refuses and kills Junior with a bike chain. Ford, Shane and the two friends then spend the night at a motel.

At the murder scene where Junior was found dead, FBI agents Tehya Henderson and Jay McPherson assure Trey that they will find Junior's killer. China becomes a false witness and says that Ford killed Junior. Upon hearing this a vengeful Trey swears to kill Ford.

After learning through a news report that Ford is wanted for Junior's murder, Shane, Ford and company hit the road. The Reapers find them and a chase ensues with all riding into a forest. Ford tells his friends to split up and rides out of the forest into a desert, resulting in the chase being led near a passenger train. Ford jumps onto the train with Trey following riding on top of the train and going inside it. In the struggle, Trey falls in front of the train with his leg getting caught on the tracks. Ford helps him out and gives him his own bike to escape, leaving Trey puzzled. Shane, Dalton, Val and Ford later find a cave for the night to stay.

Ford talks it out with his friends and says that he should call the FBI agents to tell them that he is innocent. Ford calls them and McPherson picks up the phone. He says that he does not believe Ford but Henderson does. The next morning, the four hitch a ride inside a truck, which is stopped by police checkpoint. Just before the agents open the back of the truck, Ford and Shane bust out in a race car with the two friends on their bikes. The four drive onto a highway with the FBI and Trey on their tail.

Ford jumps out of the car onto Val's bike and tells him to ride with Shane. Trey and the two agents follow. The agents survive a crash where their Hummer hits a construction pipe. Trey rides his bike into Ford's, and the two crash. Holding Trey at gunpoint, Ford explains to Trey that he did not kill Junior. Trey asks who the real killer is and Ford says that it was Henry and he set them both up. Trey agrees to partner with Ford as he sets up a meeting with the agents.

Ford calls Shane and orders his group to come and meet him and Trey at her garage. Subsequently, the FBI agents bust in and tell Trey and Ford to get down. Henderson asks for an explanation, believing Ford is innocent. As he tells them, McPherson shoots Henderson, apparently killing her. McPherson reveals he is Henry's mole in the agency and is working with the Hellions. Henry, China and Luther show up with Dalton and Val in chains and Shane as a hostage. Ford says that Henry can take the bikes back. However, Henry wants to kill Ford and Trey (after admitting to Trey that he had killed Junior).

Thereafter, a fight begins with Trey killing Luther with a chain. Henry and China leave the garage while Ford frees Shane and Trey unties Val and Dalton. Together, they all leave the garage. Henderson (who was wearing a bullet proof vest) then blows up the garage killing McPherson. Outside, China meets up with Shane, and the two fight on their bikes which ends with Shane kicking China off her bike and throwing her through a car windshield, killing her.

Ford catches up with Henry on the street in a bike chase. Henry shoots at Ford's bike, causing fuel to leak and ignite. Ford lands on top of Henry's bike as the fire catches up to them causing both bikes to explode; throwing Ford in the air and killing Henry. Shane picks him up and they drive back to the garage to find the others. Meanwhile, Henderson survived but is injured.

Ford and Shane get back together and decide that the four need a vacation (with Shane suggesting Mexico). Val picks up his girlfriend Nina, and the five ride off in the desert.

Cast

 * Martin Henderson as Cary Ford, the protagonist who is framed for murder
 * Ice Cube as Trey Wallace, leader of The Reapers who hated Ford for the framed murder of his brother, their member, but later, when he realized the truth, became an ally to Ford
 * Monet Mazur as Shane, Ford's longtime girlfriend
 * Adam Scott as FBI Agent Jay McPherson
 * Matt Schulze as Henry James, leader of the Outlaw motorcycle club known as The Hellions, he is responsible for framing Ford and the film's antagonist
 * Jay Hernandez as Dalton, Hispanic-American friend of Ford
 * Will Yun Lee as Val, Korean-American friend of Ford
 * Jaime Pressly as China, girlfriend of Henry James
 * Max Beesley as Luther, second-in-command of The Hellions
 * Christina Milian as Nina, Val's new fling and new friend of Ford
 * Faizon Love as Sonny, member of The Reapers, drives a black Ford Excursion
 * Fredro Starr as Junior Wallace, younger brother of Trey who is murdered
 * Justina Machado as FBI Agent Tehya Henderson, partners with FBI Agent McPherson
 * Hayden Mcfarland as Kho
 * John Ashker as Yellow Acura RSX Driver
 * Lance Gilbert as 18 Wheeler Driver

Cameos
The stoner rock band Monster Magnet is the one that appears in the nightclub playing the song "Master of Light". Dane Cook makes a cameo appearance as a tourist that runs into Henry. Jesse James of West Coast Choppers and Monster Garage makes a cameo appearance in the scene where Ford and Shane are talking inside the tent. Two of his custom choppers are used later in the movie as the bikes Henry James' drugs are stored in. Also, director Joseph Kahn can be spotted as a passenger during a train chase scene. Stuntman turned director Scott Waugh also makes a cameo appearance as the driver of the red Mitsubishi Eclipse. The Peterbilt 281 from Duel makes a cameo appearance chasing a Plymouth Valiant.

Soundtrack

 * Track listing

The original score was done by Trevor Rabin.

Similarities to The Fast and the Furious (2001)
The film has been called "The Fast and the Furious on Motorcycles", referring to the use of many of the same thematic elements between the two films. The film's director Joseph Kahn said his intention was to make a "piss take" version of the Fast & Furious franchise, even though both movies were produced by Neal H. Moritz. However, Torque was made by Warner Bros, while The Fast and the Furious is made by Universal.

Torque specifically references The Fast and the Furious at one point, taking a line directly from the film. Henderson's character Ford borrows Vin Diesel's line, "I live my life a quarter-mile at a time." To which Shane (Monet Mazur) replies, "That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard."

Matt Schulze, who portrayed the film's antagonist, Henry James, also appeared in The Fast and the Furious, playing Dominic Toretto's childhood friend and member of the truck hijacking team, Vince. Schulze would later reprise his role as Vince in Fast Five, the fifth installment in the series that transitioned from street racing to an action-packed heist series.

Another reference to The Fast and the Furious is since Torque focused on motorcycles, it does show a street race in the beginning, involving a quarter-mile race between a Mitsubishi Eclipse and an Acura RSX, with the protagonist Cary Ford beating the 2 cars on his Aprilia RSV motorcycle. Also, when Ford rides past the road sign at the start of the film, it spins and reads "cars suck".

Box office
The film opened at #4 at the U.S. Box office raking in $9,970,557 USD in its first opening weekend. The movie's theatrical run took in a total of $21,215,059 in the United States and worldwide $46,546,197, against a production budget of approximately $40,000,000.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 22% based on reviews from 116 critics. The site's consensus is that the film is "Silly and noisy ... stylish fun for the MTV crowd." Metacritic reports a score of 41% based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

A positive review came from Kevin Thomas of L.A. Times, calling it "A terrific action picture. Stylish unpretentious fun." Jeremy Wheeler at AllMovie rated Torque 3 stars out of 5 stating: "Torque is a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart, eliciting so many moments of amped-up and overblown excitement that those with medical conditions (and very serious taste in film) should probably stay ten blocks away.... this little slice of joy relishes in being abundantly over-the-top at every explosive turn."

The film has since gone on to acquire a cult following among sports-bike racers and enthusiasts, as well as racing film fans. It has also garnered some appreciation for its over-the-top stunts, fast pace and stylish action sequences.

Awards
Torque was nominated for several World Stunt Awards, including Best Specialty Stunt and Best Overall Stunt by a Stunt Man.

Home media
Torque was released on DVD and VHS on May 18, 2004. It was released on Blu-ray on April 22, 2014.