Torrente, the Dumb Arm of the Law

Just bought and seen the dvd (dirt cheap) though I never heard of it. Had the same experience with works like Almodovar (Todo Sobre Mi madre, Carne Tremular) and Amenabar (Abre Los Ojos). None of them were disappointing (understatement). First I thought It would be a movie like Bad Lieutenant , this time on too much sangria. From the right beginning really funny and a-moral. But hey, it turned out to be a true movie after all.

This guy (Torrente) is an ex-cop, El Fary and Altético Madrid fan. This movie (and the whole Torrente-saga) is about stupid and bizarre characters and they are very funny, you can trust in me. He is very fumbler and his "friends" are also flumbers. He has a few mates like Rafi who wants to be a cop, Amparito is a slag but somehow she likes Torrente('s carrot), Malaguita is his informer who can't give a true information for the Spanish super cop and... there are a few more unbelievable characters but I don't really want to spoil the whole movie. Overall, this film is an excellent action-comedy and you will laugh the whole approximately 97 minutes. Watch it! My opinion: 10 out of 10!

Spanish auteur Santiago Segura, who wrote, directed and stars in this film, creates a decent if overly dark comedy about corruption. Segura claims to be a member of the Madrid police force, but his outlandish behavior – he drinks before going on duty and forces his wheelchair-bound father to beg to increase his income – hardly demonstrates the qualities required of a representative of the law. When sleazy nymphomaniac Neus Asensi moves in next door, he befriends her cousin, extremely nerdy Javier Cámara. When Segura and his new sidekick accidentally discover a drug ring run through a Chinese restaurant, Cámara calls in his loser friends to help. As the cast gets significantly reduced in a flurry of bullets and tragedy, Segura concludes the film with a few plot twists and the unsettling suggestion that sometimes people are as bad as they seem. An inherently unfunny story gets injected with a dose of morbid wit through Segura's approach to the characters. His attitude toward humanity appears quite dark. Everyone in the film either takes advantage of others or finds himself exploited, and no one seems to wind up punished for their wrongdoings. True, a number of maniacal drug dealers get offed, but so do all of Cámara's awkward, endearing friends. Segura follows few conventions in his portrayal of the world of his deluded cop. Chus Lampreave, familiar from several of Pedro Almodóvar's films, has a nice role as Cámara's mother.

Being Spanish as I am I find this movie amazingly funny (i've watched it a million times :P). But I must admit it might not be as funny for everyone, if you're not Spanish you'll probably find it quite stupid and boring, why? Because many of the jokes are referred to things everyone in Spain knows about but people from other parts of the world don't, some of the characters are quite... infamous in Spain and that makes them funny... and many other details as these. Torrente is something of a Spanish Homer Simpson / Peter Griffin, and everyone finds those characters funny because everyone knows quite a lot about the US and American celebrities, but with Spain... I'd say not.

This was movie of the year in Spain in 1998 following Ulloas success with Airbag the year before. It's about a truly revolting cop in Madrid. He's a sexist,egotistical,dirty pig. There are some memorable scenes in the film and it's quite funny if you don't have any problems with political correctness. It's probably more fun to a Spanish audience who get the jokes about Atlético Madrid fans, "in" expressions and other national references. A Spanish viewer can also appreciate all the cameos. Some of Spain's most renowned actors appear in little parts and add an extra twist to it all. The pace of the movie is fast and there are no dull moments. Go and see it if you can but have a couple of beers before you go.