Summary

• Torque, a biker film in the style of Fast & Furious, starred well-known actors but received poor reviews, especially in comparison to Fast & Furious.
• Director Kahn had planned to make “Torque” a comedic version of “Fast & Furious,” but the studio pushed for a serious action film, which affected the film’s success.
• Despite similar stunts and a similar budget, “Torque” struggled to replicate the success of “Fast & Furious,” which underscores the importance of a strong main cast.

Branded as Fast & Furious But for motorcycles, Torque turns 20 this year. The 2004 biker film has a rating of 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is significantly lower than “The Fast and The Furious” – The incredible journey 54%, which is surprising considering that both were produced by Neal H. Moritz. Torque Despite the terrible Rotten Tomatoes rating, the film features several well-known actors, including Ice Cube and Adam Scott. Torque received negative reviews from critics about everything except its action scenesThis makes sense, because the film should be a Fast & Furious equal, so the action had to be good.

Torque follows Cary Ford (Martin Henderson), a biker who discovers drugs hidden in some motorcycles. Gangster Henry James (Matt Schulze) accuses him of murder because he wants to get his stash back. The victim is the brother of Trey (Ice Cube), the leader of the dangerous biker gang, the Reapers. Ford then flees from the biker gang and the FBI to clear his name. Although the premise sounds like a crime thriller, Torque has many themes that reflect Fast & Furiouswhich makes it clear that the film was a failure Fast & Furious tear down.

Torque (2004) was clearly intended as Fast & Furious for motorcycles

Director Kahn wanted a comedic version of the Fast Saga

Torque was clearly as Fast & Furious Motorcycle variant as director Joseph Kahn described the film as “Take a pee” of the Vin Diesel franchise. As Grammy winner Kahn’s directorial debut in a feature film, he has said that his intention for Torque was to make fun of the Fast & Furious series. However, the studio wanted to take the film in a different and more serious direction. In an interview with Hollywood Reporters In 2012, Kahn explained this situation and how his previous experiences with making music videos had led him to have unrealistic expectations during production:

I was unrealistic and naive about how things would work in the studio. I had just shot music videos where I could basically do whatever I wanted and I had a certain level of respect, so basically everyone listened to me… I’m happy with the film, by the way, 70 percent of what I wanted to do – that’s a passing grade. But the most important thing I learned is that you have to agree from the beginning because
Lorenzo (of Bonaventure)
the president at the time, left, and I was no longer working with a certain group of executives, and we had two different films in mind.

Kahn’s comedic intent is evident everywhere TorqueFor example, at the beginning of the film, Ford drives past a traffic sign that spins in a comical way and displays the words “Cars suck”, and Ford also quotes Vin Diesel’s sentence: “I live my life quarter mile by quarter mile”, which is known as “the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard” by Monet Mazur’s character Shane. Torque became largely the serious action film that the studio (Warner Bros) wanted who wanted to follow in Universal’s footsteps. Fast & Furious Franchise through ridiculous vehicle stunts combined with a criminal plot.

The death of Schulze’s character in
Fast Five
was much less exciting than in
Torque
; he is shot in
Fast Five
while during the bike battle in
Torque
.

There are similarities in both films, such as Torque There are also street races, gang rivalries, criminal enterprises and Matt SchulzeSchulze plays an important role in Torque as the antagonist of the film, as the leader of the biker gang The Hellions and responsible for the slander of Ford. As the best friend of Dom Toretto, Schulze was also a main character in the Fast & Furious Franchise until his death in Fast FiveThe death of Schulze’s character in Fast Five was much less exciting than in Torque; he is shot in Fast Fivewhile during the bike battle in Torque.

Torque proved how difficult it was to repeat the success of Fast and Furious

The budget was not Torque’s problem

Torque showed how difficult it was Fast & Furious’ success, although it is full of similar physics-challenging stunts. According to IMDb, 66 stunt people performed in The Fast and the Furious, and the film won several of the best stunts at the World Stunt Awards. However, 74 stunt people performed in Torquebut the film received only a handful of award nominations. It was certainly not a budget problem, because Torque exceeded The Fast and The Furious films Budget increased by $2 millionFor all these reasons, it is surprising Torque grossed only $46.5 million at the box office, compared to The Fast and Furious $207.3 million at the box office.

A key factor in The Fast and the FuriousThe success was his cast. Vin Diesel was a rising star when he appeared in The Fast and The FuriousA few years earlier, Vin Diesel was in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryanand played in Pitch Blacks Lead role as Riddick, a film that became a surprise hit. Paul Walker had already gained fame in the popular teen film of the late 1990s, One of a kind. However, Torque Lead actors Martin Henderson and Monet Mazur had only been cast in supporting roles in a few films, which didn’t help. Torque gain enough popularity to become a Fast & Furious Equivalent.

Source: Hollywood Reporter