Twisted (2004/I)

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writer (WGA):

Sarah Thorp (written by)

Release Date:

27 February 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Every murder has a mark.

Plot:

Jessica, whose father was a serial killer, is a female police officer. While investigating a murder, she finds herself in the center of her own investigation, when her former lovers start dying around her at a furious pace.

Plot Keywords:

Father | Partner | Police | Murder | Serial Killer

Cast

Ashley Judd	...	Jessica Shepard
Samuel L. Jackson	...	John Mills
Andy Garcia	...	Mike Delmarco
David Strathairn	...	Dr. Melvin Frank
Russell Wong	...	Lieutenant Tong
Camryn Manheim	...	Lisa
Mark Pellegrino	...	Jimmy Schmidt
Titus Welliver	...	Dale Becker
D.W. Moffett	...	Ray Porter
Richard T. Jones	...	Wilson Jefferson
Leland Orser	...	Edmund Cutler
James Oliver Bullock	...	John Flanagan
William Hall	...	Chip Marshall
Joe Duer	...	Larry Geber
Jim Hechim	...	Bob Sherman (as James Hechim)

Also Known As:

The Blackout Murders (USA) (working title)
Twisted - Der erste Verdacht (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Philippines:R-13 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | UK:15 | USA:R (Certificate #39986) | Indonesia:Dewasa | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) (cut) | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Crissy Field, Golden Gate Memorial Recreation Area, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Early in the movie, when Shepard is talking to Mills in the pool room at the bar, posters for The Unbearable Lightness of Being and The Right Stuff are visible. Both films were directed by Philip Kaufman.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Jessica is talking to a psychiatrist when Mills comes to bail her out of jail. At one point as they are walking out, the movement of their bodies does not match the sound of their footsteps.

Quotes:

Jessica Shepard: You killed them all
John Mills: They were scum... they didn't deserve you

Movie Connections:

Featured in Creating a Twisted Web of Intrigue (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

One More Nite

Ashley needs a new genre

Ashley Judd plays police detective Jessica Shepard, on the hunt for a serial killer who is murdering the men she recently dated. When Jessica starts blacking out before each murder, the police commissioner (Samuel Jackson) and her partner (Andy Garcia) begin to suspect that she may be more directly involved with the murders.

Twisted may boast an impressive cast but that's about all it has going for it. The story is pretty unoriginal as this is just a female version of Tightrope. While having a tough female cop in the lead role is a little interesting, it doesn't save the film from being really bad. The film tries to trick the audience offering some twists and turns but they all fail. Twisted is a poorly written thriller lacking twists. If you really think about it, you could probably figure out the ending before the thirty minute mark. It's just so obvious that you wonder why they even bothered making it in the first place.

Ashley Judd stars in this movie and she really needs to move on to a different genre. High Crimes, Eye of the Beholder, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy and now Twisted have all starred Ashley Judd and I think audiences are getting bored watching her in the same role in every movie. In Twisted, she gives her usual performance though she looked a little bored throughout the film. You would think having Andy Garcia and Samuel L Jackson would help but apparently no talented actor can save the movie. Jackson also appears bored throughout the movie and this a paycheck movie for him. Andy Garcia gives an okay performance. It was just a little over the top.

It's a by the numbers thriller and if you pay close attention to the film you can figure out the killer five minutes into the movie. If you sit back and relax you may enjoy it more but they could have hidden the identity of the killer a little better. All of the three main actors in this movie are way above this material and I was surprised to see all of them in this. In the end, Twisted is another dull entry into the genre and it's only worth watching if you're a die-hard fan of anyone involved. Rating 4/10.