Film/Video Review

Torque,  DVD, Directed by Joseph Kahn
(2003;  Hollywood, CA:  Warner Brothers Studios, 2004).

Christian A. Pierce, MA
Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc.

Burned Out:  Review of the film Torque (2004)

A motorcycle remains the epitome of balance, harnessing the raw power of internal combustion and delivering this explosive potential to the road.  In the right hands this equilibrium of chaos and control can perform death-defying feats, as skilled technicians tempt the fates with freestyle back flips and six-second quarter miles.  With that said inexperience can easily display the dangers that lie around every corner, as a motorcycle requires respect, for without this respect costly mistakes and injuries are inevitable.  For this reason certain boundaries are in place today, from those enacted and enforced by the law to those that are built into the machines themselves.  These measures are clearly mere guidelines, as both the rider and the machine are capable of exceeding the confines of these restrictions often with dire consequences.  Unfortunately, these marvelous maneuvers are frequently recreated for entertainment purposes, but rarely illustrate the toll that even a minor error can place upon the rider and the motorcycle.  Herein lies the dilemma surrounding Warner Brothers Studio’s feature film, Torque (2004).

The inaugural feature film effort of music video director Joseph Kahn, renowned for his work with artists like U2 and Moby, Torque is the embodiment of irresponsible behavior, both on the part of the director and the characters appearing on screen.  Emphasizing a design that embraces style over substance, like a carbon fiber clad Ural, the film is little more than a series of asinine drag races connected by fragments of narrative substance.  Lead character Cary Ford, played by Martin Henderson, hopes to right a previous wrong, but has found himself trapped “between a rock and a hard place.”  As the film begins, the viewer discovers that a legitimate business deal unknowingly left Cary in the possession of a sizable amount of illegal narcotics (housed within the gas tanks of three custom choppers he helped build).  In rather stereotypical fashion the “rock” in this scenario is the cliché outlaw club leader, Henry James (Matt Schulze), who is the initial investor and drug trade entrepreneur.  Unfortunately, Henry James is difficult to buy as the supposed outlaw due to the biker chic apparel worn by Schulze and the Yamaha Warrior he rides, a far cry from the Harley-Davidson one would expect of a prototypical Hell’s Angel.  So here we have it, race replica rider versus counterfeit outlaw cruiser, one out to prove his innocence, the other to profit from the sale of his product; a simple equation that Kahn only complicates by harping on pointless subplots.

Predictably, the “hard place” revolves around a romantic interest, as Cary must first prove his case to former girlfriend Shane, the lovely but ultimately inept Monet Mazur.  In a love affair that seems fueled by their passion for motorcycles, repair shop owner Shane feels betrayed by Cary and his disappearance from the authorities.  During a conventional reunion, minus the obligatory sex scene, Cary and Shane are able to ride past their differences in the hope of rebuilding their former life together.  In order to remodel this life Cary needs to clear his name with Agent McPherson, played by Adam Scott.  A character that seems sure of himself and the guilt of Mr. Ford, Agent McPherson is one of the few genuinely entertaining aspects of this film.  Adam Scott appears to understand that the movie in which he appears may in fact be a terrible joke, as he plays up to the camera and delivers a rather humorous performance in spite of the serious demeanor of the other characters.  In comparison the unnecessary appearance of rapper Ice Cube as rival gang leader Trey and actress Jaime Pressly as China only reinforces the hard-edged attitude of the other characters.  In a role that one presumes was a favor cashed in by Kahn, Ice Cube attempts to give the film “street cred” by gracing the screen with his confident swagger and strong language.  His contribution is not only superfluous, but at times becomes a distraction.  China is present for nothing more than sex appeal, but for those viewers familiar with the challenges of riding, Jaime Pressly’s costume, including four-inch heels are simply impossible to comprehend (how on Earth is she supposed to shift a gear?).  By layering his plot with these extraneous parties, all in conflict with Cary Ford, Kahn does more to confuse the story than he does to resolve the struggles at hand.
            In Kahn’s defense we are dealing here with a biker film.  Besides a few critically acclaimed examples like Easy Rider (1969) and The Wild One (1954), the viewer knows award-winning filmmaking is fairly unlikely within this genre.  We anticipate minimal dialogue and plenty of chase sequences, but even here Kahn comes up short.  The genre relies on the bikes as prominent fixture on screen, but it appears as though real stunts have gone the way of Excelsior Henderson.  Rather than utilizing the sheer ability of the machines and their riders, Kahn delved into the absurd by testing the viewer’s perception of reality via Computer Generated Imaging (CGI).  Illustrating the pitfalls of many a director today, Kahn defies all logic by placing the bikes in implausible situations such as riding atop a moving passenger train.  The need for speed is also pushed beyond acceptable limits as the film incorporates the legendary Y2K.  A bike owned and operated by a select few (due to the $250,000 price tag), this bike powered by a Rolls Royce Allison turbine helicopter engine is certainly a novel idea.  In a climatic chase scene in which the nitrous-fed Yamaha Warrior of James is able to keep the Y2K of Ford at bay, the viewer finally loses all patience with this film and the director’s creative vision.  Looking more like a video game than a motion picture, Torque at last seizes the engine of entertainment in a blaze of B-film glory.  

By now you should have realized that I do not recommend this film.  In fact, the DVD is now one of my most expensive beer coasters.  As has become all too common place in Hollywood, the story strains the viewer’s sense of reality and deals with the subject matter in a reckless manner.  Doing nothing more than exaggerating the association bikers have with unlawful activity, be it controlled substances or a heavy throttle hand, Torque does a disservice to the motorcycle community.  Having been warned, feel free to watch and laugh, as the film is truly an object to be ridiculed rather than emulated, especially by those who are fanatical about motorcycles.  So let me leave you with a closing thought directly quoted from the film, that I believe captures the essence of Torque.

Cary: I live my life a quarter mile at a time.

Shane: That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

I couldn’t agree more.

Christian Pierce grew up in Laconia, New Hampshire surrounded by bikes at the annual Gypsy Tour Rally.  He later attended the University of Notre Dame, where he earned his BA in Film, Television, & Theatre.  He earned his MA in Film Studies from Emory University.  He now teaches film appreciation courses for Emory’s Center for Lifelong Learning and the Spruill Arts Center, and works for Turner Broadcasting’s photography library in the Image Management department.

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