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Torrente: The Dumb Arm of the Law

Torrente: The Dumb Arm of the Law

Comedy · Crime · 1998

A former policeman enlists his nerdy friend to help bust drug traffickers moving heroin through a Chinese restaurant.

Movie details

Torrente: The Dumb Arm of the Law

1998 Comedy · Crime 1h 37m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

A former policeman enlists his nerdy friend to help bust drug traffickers moving heroin through a Chinese restaurant.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Torrente: The Dumb Arm of the Law?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Killing Cabos

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A former hit-man for a drug cartel becomes a vigilante to pay for his sins and find redemption.

Pulp Fiction

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A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.

The Boondock Saints

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Action · 1999

Tired of the crime overrunning the streets of Boston, Irish Catholic twin brothers Conner and Murphy are inspired by their faith to cleanse their hometown of evil with their own brand of zealous vigilante justice. As they hunt down and kill one notorious gangster after another, they become controversial folk heroes in the community. But Paul Smecker, an eccentric FBI agent, is fast closing in on their blood-soaked trail.

Kiss of the Dragon

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Action · 2001

Liu Jian, an elite Chinese police officer, comes to Paris to arrest a Chinese drug lord. When Jian is betrayed by a French officer and framed for murder, he must go into hiding and find new allies.

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

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Action · 2013

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Year of the Dragon

Year of the Dragon

Action · 1985

In New York, racist Capt. Stanley White becomes obsessed with destroying a Chinese-American drug ring run by Joey Tai, an up-and-coming young gangster as ambitious as he is ruthless. While pursuing an unauthorized investigation, White grows increasingly willing to violate police protocol, resorting to progressively violent measures -- even as his concerned wife, Connie, and his superiors beg him to consider the consequences of his actions.

Rise of the Footsoldier

Rise of the Footsoldier

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The Replacement Killers

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Hired assassin John Lee is asked by Chinatown crime boss Terence Wei to murder the young son of policeman Stan Zedkov. Lee has the boy in his sights, but his conscience gets the better of him, and he spares the child's life. Afraid that Wei will take revenge on his family in China, Lee seeks out expert forger Meg Coburn to obtain the passport he needs to get out of the country, but a band of replacement killers is soon on his trail.

The Shepherd: Border Patrol

The Shepherd: Border Patrol

Action · 2008

A Texas cop battles ex-navy seals who are trying to traffic drugs from Mexico into the USA.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Santiago Segura

Written by

Santiago Segura

Santiago Segura

Santiago Segura

José Luis Torrente

Javier Cámara

Javier Cámara

Rafi

Neus Asensi

Neus Asensi

Amparito

Chus Lampreave

Chus Lampreave

Reme

Tony Leblanc

Tony Leblanc

Padre

Julio Sanjuán

Julio Sanjuán

Malaguita

Jimmy Barnatán

Jimmy Barnatán

Toneti

Court is in session

Put Torrente: The Dumb Arm of the Law on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.