Summary
Branded asFast & Furiousbutfor motorcycles,Torqueturns 20 years old this year. The 2004 biker movie is rated 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, much lower thanThe Fast and The Furious’54%, which is surprising considering both were produced by Neal H. Moritz.Torquestars some recognizable actors despite its terrible Rotten Tomatoes score, featuring the likes of Ice Cube and Adam Scott. However,Torquereceived negative reviews from critics about everything except its action scenes. This makes sense as the movie was supposed to be aFast & Furiousequivalent, so the action had to be good.
Torquefollows Cary Ford (Martin Henderson), a biker who discovers drugs hidden inside some motorcycles, who is framed for murder by a gangster, Henry James (Matt Schulze), who wants to recover his stash. The victim is the brother of Ice Cube’s Trey, the leader of the dangerous biker gang, the Reapers. Ford then goes on the run from the biker gang and the FBI to clear his name. Despite its premise sounding like a murder mystery movie,Torquehas a lot of themes that mirrorFast & Furious, making it obvious that themovie was a failedFast & Furiousripoff.
Fast & Furious Movies In Order: How (& Where) To Watch By Release Date & Chronologically
With 11 films spanning decades of prequels, sequels, and spin-offs, there are multiple ways fans can watch the Fast & Furious movies in order.
Torque (2004) Was Clearly Meant To Be Fast & Furious For Motorcycles
Director Kahn Wanted A Comedic Take On The Fast Saga
Torquewas clearly meant to be aFast & Furiousmotorcycle variant as director, Joseph Kahn, described the film as a “p*ss take” of the Vin Diesel franchise. As Grammy winner Kahn’s feature film directorial debut, he has said that his intention forTorquewas to poke fun at the Fast & Furious franchise. However, the studio wanted to take the film in a different and more serious direction. In an interview with theHollywood Reporterin 2012, Kahn explained this situation and how his previous experience of making music videos had caused him to have unrealistic expectations during production:
I was unrealistic and I was naive in terms of how the studio process worked. I was coming off music videos where I can basically do whatever I wanted and I have a certain level of respect, so everybody basically listened to me… I’m happy with the movie by the way, 70 percent of what I wanted to do — it’s a passing grade. But the biggest core thing that I learned is that you have to from the beginning agree together, becauseLorenzo [di Bonaventura], who was the president, left, and I was no longer working with a certain set of executives and we had two different movies in mind.
Kahn’s comedic intention can be seen throughoutTorque. For example, at the beginning of the movie, Ford rides past a road sign which comically spins to show the words “cars suck,” and Ford also quotes Vin Diesel’s line, “I live my life a quarter-mile at a time,” which is declared “the dumbest thing I have ever heard” by Monet Mazur’s character, Shane. However,Torquemostly ended up being the serious action movie that the studio (Warner Bros) wantedwhich tried to follow in the footsteps of Universal’sFast & Furiousfranchise via ridiculous vehicular stuntscombined with a criminal storyline.
Schulze’s character’s death inFast Fivewas much less exciting than inTorque; he is shot inFast Five, whereas a bike dramatically blows up on him during the bike battle inTorque.
There are similarities seen in both films, asTorquealso features street races, gang rivalries, criminal ventures, and Matt Schulze. Schulze plays a major role inTorqueas the film’s antagonist, being leader of The Hellions biker gang and responsible for framing Ford. As Dom Toretto’s best friend, Schulze was also amajor character in theFast & Furiousfranchise until his deathinFast Five. However, Schulze’s character’s death inFast Fivewas much less exciting than inTorque; he is shot inFast Five, whereas a bike dramatically blows up on him during the bike battle inTorque.
Torque Proved How Difficult It Was To Replicate Fast And Furious’ Success
Budget Wasn’t Torque’s Issue
Torqueproved how difficult it was to replicateFast & Furious’success, despite being full of similar physics-defying stunts. According to IMDb, 66 stunt persons performed inThe Fast and The Furious,and the film won multiple best stuntsat the World Stunt Awards. However, 74 stunt persons performed inTorque, but the movie only received a handful of award nominations. It certainly wasn’t a budget issue, asTorqueexceededThe Fast and The Furious’sbudget by $2 million. All this makes it surprising thatTorqueonly earned $46.5 million at the box office, compared toThe Fast and Furious’sbox office of $207.3 million.
The Fast and The Furious
$38 million
$207.3 million
58%
$40 million
$46.5 million
22%
A key factor inThe Fast and the Furious' success was its cast.Vin Diesel was an upcoming star when he appeared in 2001’sThe Fast and The Furious. A few years prior, Vin Diesel had appeared in Steven Spielberg’sSaving Private Ryan, and starred inPitch Black’slead role as Riddick, a movie which became a sleeper hit franchise. Paul Walker had also gained previous notoriety in the late 1990s popular teen movie,She’s All That. However,Torque’slead stars, Martin Henderson and Monet Mazur, had only been credited as side roles in a few films, which didn’t helpTorquegain enough popularity to be aFast & Furiousequivalent.
Torque
Cast
Torque is a high-octane action film directed by Joseph Kahn, which centers around the thrilling world of motorcycle gangs. The story follows Cary Ford, who returns to his hometown to reunite with his girlfriend but finds himself framed by an old rival and biker gang leader for a murder he didn’t commit. With the FBI and rival bikers on his tail, Ford must clear his name and outrun his enemies in adrenaline-pumping chases. The film is a fast-paced ride that showcases spectacular bike stunts and race sequences, capturing the fierce culture of underground bike gangs.
