Product Details

• Actors: Cole Hauser, Laurence Fishburne, James Cromwell, Emmanuelle Chriqui, James Denton
• Directors: Nolan Lebovitz
• Writers: Nolan Lebovitz
• Producers: Adam M. Lebovitz, Kirk Shaw, Mary Aloe
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Cantonese, English, French, Korean, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001C5LLMS
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,647 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Tortured" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Director-writer Nolan H. Lebovitz’s Tortured is definitely not for the squeamish. But while there’s a good deal of the titular activity going on here, not much of it is gratuitous, and none at all is as stomach-turningly graphic as what can be found in, say, the Saw and Hostel series. What’s more, in addition to a stellar cast, this movie actually has a story worth paying attention to. Jumping between the present and the recent past, we follow the exploits of FBI agent Kevin Cole (Cole Hauser) who, using the alias Jimmy Vaughn, manages to penetrate the notorious criminal organization run by a mysterious figure known only as Ziggy. After undergoing extensive torture to prove his own mettle, "Vaughn" is assigned the grim task of breaking one Archie Green (Laurence Fishburne), Ziggy’s accountant, who’s suspected of stealing millions from the big boss. It’s not pretty, as Vaughn spends days pulling off his prisoner’s finger and toenails, administering electric shocks, and other repellent acts; unsurprisingly, Agent Cole, tough dude though he is (he’s already served honorably in Afghanistan), is disturbed by this grim assignment and its collateral consequences, leading to problems with his literally clueless girlfriend (Emmanuelle Chriqui) and several trips to the Bureau shrink (Kevin Pollak). But that’s not all: Archie Green, it turns out, is not what he seems; nor is Cole’s father (James Cromwell), the FBI director with a few secrets of his own. It all comes together at the end, when Lebovitz serves up a couple of somewhat credibility-defying but very surprising final twists. Tortured has its share of clichéd moments ("I don’t even recognize you anymore!" says the girlfriend before storming out the door, packed bags in tow), but it also has a dark, stylish, almost minimalist vibe, and more than enough tension and suspense to keep you hooked. A decent "making of" featurette is the principal bonus feature. --Sam Graham

Product Description

Deep undercover in a brutal criminal organization, FBI agent Kevin Cole (Cole Hauser) must use extreme methods to prove himself. Ordered by the mysterious crime boss Ziggy to track down stolen millions, Cole gets to work on the mob's accountant (Laurence Fishburne). But as he starts turning the screws, the mind games begin. Now who's controlling who? Enter the ruthless world of organized crime, where you're only as good as your last lie. Also starring Emmanuelle Chriqui (You Don't Mess with the Zohan).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A decent thriller that flew under the radar..., September 16, 2008

By	Steve Kuehl "SLV Video" (Ben Lomond, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This title had received no advertising and very little coverage in the ordering publications so I carried few since the cast seemed solid. I was pleasantly surprised.

Cole Hauser leads the film as our undercover FBI agent infiltrating one of the oldest and largest crime syndicates still in operation. James Cromwell plays the FBI Director/dad of our main character, and Lawrence Fishburne plays the tortured victim/hostage of the bad guys. Emmanuelle Chriqui, Robert LaSardo and Jon Cryer round out a recognizable supporting cast who all perform with adequate prose for their shorter roles. The story follows the agent as he has to torture this prisoner to gain the trust of the syndicate. The film leap frogs between time periods of the agent's mission, with graphic depictions of disgusting torture in between.

This movie earns the R rating many times over for violence, and the inevitable B movie feel filters through once in awhile. But Cole (who I liked in Dirty) carries the film nicely as Fishburne and Cromwell play their usual characters from many other films without a problem. I swear LaSardo gets 20 more tattoos between each film - cannot see his skin anymore, good art though. Customers keep asking for a good thriller with any surprising twists (instead of predictable and dumb), and I think this title can keep the masses happy this week.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great twist, but some parts are tough to watch, December 24, 2008

By	Jared Broach - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I watched this movie with no expectations, mainly because I had never heard about it. However, as soon as the movie starts, it gets very intriguing. The movie is not hard to watch because it is boring, but because of some torture methods that appear to hurt very much. The movie does jump around between time periods a bit, but they piece the movie together very well if you pay attention. The ending is built up very well and I enjoyed the twist. I would highly reccomend watching or buying this.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great movie with a twist, July 15, 2009

By	Dennis E. Math "barbarosa" (Western Wisconsin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I may be naive, but I never saw the ending coming. Great movie, really great.