Torrente, the Dumb Arm of the Law
Original title: Torrente: El brazo tonto de la ley
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
14K
YOUR RATING
José Luis Torrente, a former policeman fights against the oriental mafia in Madrid.José Luis Torrente, a former policeman fights against the oriental mafia in Madrid.José Luis Torrente, a former policeman fights against the oriental mafia in Madrid.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 4 nominations total
Jimmy Barnatán
- Toneti
- (as Jaime Barnatán)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Jaw-droppingly hilarious from beginning to end, the brilliant Santiago Segura delivers one of the funniest films ever made about an unbelievably likable racist, homophobic, misogynistic, gloriously non-PC, ex-cop.
You really have to see it to truly appreciate its unique sense of lusty invention and bravura staging.
Segura's Torrente is a filthy, fat bastard who partners with an insufferable nerd to crack a drug smuggling operation. But the plot merely provides Segura with a framework for his non-stop barrage of brilliant gags and set pieces.
Torrente's attempt to seduce his nerd partner's slutty sister is hilarious, as are Torrente's off-the-cuff comments about all women wanting it up the rear and his lecture on how washing your hands before you take a leak shows greater respect for your penis.
There are so many gems in this movie it's impossible to catalog them all. Another corker, which occurs near the film's climax, has the kidnapped slut sister dropping to her knees to enthusiastically fellate her captor. When the nerd expresses concern that his sister is being "forced" to have oral sex, Torrente quips: "I don't think she's being forced too hard."
The sequel, while still very funny, doesn't have the rough, crude edge of the original.
Sublime!
You really have to see it to truly appreciate its unique sense of lusty invention and bravura staging.
Segura's Torrente is a filthy, fat bastard who partners with an insufferable nerd to crack a drug smuggling operation. But the plot merely provides Segura with a framework for his non-stop barrage of brilliant gags and set pieces.
Torrente's attempt to seduce his nerd partner's slutty sister is hilarious, as are Torrente's off-the-cuff comments about all women wanting it up the rear and his lecture on how washing your hands before you take a leak shows greater respect for your penis.
There are so many gems in this movie it's impossible to catalog them all. Another corker, which occurs near the film's climax, has the kidnapped slut sister dropping to her knees to enthusiastically fellate her captor. When the nerd expresses concern that his sister is being "forced" to have oral sex, Torrente quips: "I don't think she's being forced too hard."
The sequel, while still very funny, doesn't have the rough, crude edge of the original.
Sublime!
Torrente, a useless medium aged man, overweight, coward and ugly. He has a dream of being a police, and he actually pretends to be one. At times, it does reflect what the real policemen do. Always be there, at the end of any incident.
Rafi is his friend, a action movie freak who is living with his mum and cousin Amparito.
Torrente and Rafi will be patrolling Madrid and they get involve in real gun shooting, as they meet drug traffickers and other undesirable human beings.
Highly recommended to have nice laughing time. Nice watch and very funny, one of the best comedies in the Spanish movie industry :)
Rafi is his friend, a action movie freak who is living with his mum and cousin Amparito.
Torrente and Rafi will be patrolling Madrid and they get involve in real gun shooting, as they meet drug traffickers and other undesirable human beings.
Highly recommended to have nice laughing time. Nice watch and very funny, one of the best comedies in the Spanish movie industry :)
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.
10Y-Sly
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.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSantiago Segura has claimed that the inspiration for this movie was Cobra (1986), that he conceived as a parody of the 80s action movies. In fact, the own title is a spoof of Stallone's movie, since then in Spain Cobra was titled as "Cobra, el brazo fuerte de la ley" (Cobra, the strong arm of the law).
- GoofsTorrente's father name is Felipe, but Torrente's ID says that he's son of Antonio.
- ConnectionsFollowed by Torrente 2: Misión en Marbella (2001)
- SoundtracksApatrullando la ciudad
Written by Santiago Segura
Canciones del Mundo/Warner Chappell Music
Performed by El Fary
Courtesy of B.M.G. Ariola
- How long is Torrente, the Dumb Arm of the Law?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Torrente, the Stupid Arm of the Law
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- €1,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 37 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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By what name was Torrente, the Dumb Arm of the Law (1998) officially released in India in English?
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