Torque (2004)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Bike the Bullet

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Not many people were lucky enough to discover this small, unpretentious action flick in theaters, so DVD will be the perfect way to see it. Writer Matt Johnson and director Joseph Kahn leave no cliché unturned as they tell their story of a motorcycle bad boy Ford (Martin Henderson), who returns from a self-imposed exile in Thailand to try to set things right with a band of drug dealers. He has hidden two fancy motorcycles filled with drugs, and both the cops and the bad guys are after him. At the same time, he's been framed for murdering the brother of a gang leader (Ice Cube). Lucky for him he has a fast bike and can easily get in and out of chases. Sexy Jaime Pressly (Not Another Teen Movie) co-stars as the bad guy's main squeeze. Dressed in leather and piercings, she has about four lines of dialogue, but gets to lick her lips and sneer a lot. Jay Hernandez (crazy/beautiful) also turns up as one of Ford's cohorts. Tourque has one thing that most movies don't; exciting chase scenes. Kahn used computers to enhance his chases, but they're faster and cleaner than anything I've seen in a while. Cube is the best reason to watch, though. He's clearly having a ball, snarling through each and every line reading.

DVD Details: Warner Home Video's new DVD comes with two commentary tracks, one with director Joseph Kahn and the cast, and the second with the crew. Unfortunately, the only two actors I cared to listen to, Cube and Pressly, were not on hand. The disc also has two "animatics" outlining chase scenes, a music video and the trailer. If you go to the "Special Features" menu and click on Ford's shoulder, you also get a look at the factory that makes those really fast bikes.