Not a lot of franchises manage to retain the ‘freshness’ after six entries. The few that do achieve this impressive feat through reinvention: a new director, a rebranding through self-awareness, or a pivot anchored on a ‘back to basics’ frame. Torrente for President (Torrente, presidente), the sixth entry in a 28-year-old franchise, breaks all the rules by coming at you with the same character, virtually the same formula, and the same tone seen in the prior five chapters. And somehow, comes across as both innovative and relevant. Santiago Segura, the director, writer, and star of the series, didn’t have to reposition any elements. Real-life events ensured that the static character is more relevant than ever.
To those unfamiliar with Segura’s creation, José Luis Torrente is a former police officer. Sporting a boorish, racist, xenophobic persona, who’s nostalgic for the ‘good old days’ of Spain under Franco’s dictatorship. He blames liberals, minorities, and pretty much anyone who doesn’t think like him for the country’s decline. Think of him as a crossover between Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry and the family from Ettore Scola’s Ugly, Dirty and Bad (Brutti, sporchi e cattivi). A caricature of a no-nonsense authority figure through ineptitude and ignorance. What started in 1998 as a juvenile and crude take on a laughable stereotype has evolved, without trying, into a satire of modern-day Western society. A portrait that transcends language barriers and the need to be well-versed in Spanish politics and society.
The fifth sequel retains all of the character’s traits and finds him attracting, rather than seeking, action. During one of his usual rants to his steady audience of barflies, Torrente is spotted by two operators of the fictional right-wing populist party Nox. They see in this angry middle-aged man a relatable figure and the right vehicle to grow their platform with working-class voters. By now, the cinephiles reading this piece have already spotted a clear parallelism between this entry and Elia Kazan’s seminal title, A Face in the Crowd. In the 1957 classic, an unpolished nobody is picked by political handlers and media operators, who leverage his seeming authenticity to advance their agenda. Segura draws from the same arc and infuses the narrative with a set of on-the-nose references to modern-day Spain to create a title that operates as an equal opportunity offender to everyone across the political spectrum. Rather than engaging in the typical right-wing critique fare we find in Hollywood’s comedies, Torrente for President tackles politics as a whole, refusing to flatter any side. Political cynicism drives the action, present like never before in any of the prior entries. The franchise’s sophomoric brand of humor ensures nobody is redeemed.
Segura’s script and performance reflect the character’s stasis. We find in Torrente a man who doesn’t evolve, by default. What could have easily been a handicap in any other franchise or reality, for that matter, is the title’s ace up its sleeve: the times caught up with the man and not the other way around. This is the kind of surreal vindication that elevates the subject matter, and the movie is self-aware enough to recognize it.
The title is not without its flaws: cameo overreliance is an Achilles heel that is more distracting than a positive addition to the plot. Some callbacks and running gags are a nice nod to the fans who have stuck around for nearly three decades, whilst others simply come across as shoehorned and feel out of place. No previous engagement is required to enjoy the movie as a whole, though.
Ultimately, Torrente for President succeeds not only on its own merits but because of the current media landscape. Considering mainstream comedy has spent a good part of the last decade sanding off its edges and mass producing a tame and laughless output, the movie arrives as nothing short of unfashionably defiant. A collection of puerile gags and provocative un-PC quotes, attached to the goodwill the IP has cultivated, that suddenly produce a sharp and blunt satire through sheer vulgarity. The kind of oddity that couldn’t be made by today’s sanitised comedic voices and certainly not by ones in Hollywood. Which is somewhat ironic, considering the series counts as one of its fans none other than Oliver Stone, the political activist director, who in the early 2000’s considered helming an American remake starring none other than Robert De Niro in the titular role.
The adaptation never materialised, and it’s all for the better. Not because the talent wouldn’t be able to pull it off, but because the powers that be would have probably pushed for a ‘happy ending’ through a hero’s journey, whereby the American Torrente would have changed for the better. And if Torrente for President teaches us something, it is that the absence of evolution is, sometimes, the best lesson.
Because Torrente doesn’t need a Hollywood passport to reach a worldwide audience. The latest entry’s message does not require mental subtitles. The character may be unmistakably Spanish, but the world it mocks and the reality it depicts are truly global. Bong Joon-ho famously said at the 2020 Academy Awards that once you overcome the one-inch barrier of subtitles, you open yourself to a world of cinema. Torrente for President stands as the latest evidence that he was right. An abrasive comedy made for 2026 that awaits you to discover it.
Torrente for President was released in Spain in March of this year.
Learn more about the film at the IMDB site for the title.
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