... The latest being Ashley Judd’s latest straight to failure Twisted. I’m assuming it didn’t make it as far as our cinema screens by the fact I’d never heard of it. It does however star Samuel L Jackson and that swung my decision to watch it. It had to at least be half way decent surely?
The ... Read review
Ashley Judd is sensual and stunning as Jessica Sheppard, a San Francisco police inspector ... more
prowling the wharf for a serial killer whose victims all have one thing in common: her. The investigation becomes more and more twisted as her partner (Andy Garci...
Production Year: 1957 - Drama - Director: Leo McCarey - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Cathleen Nesbitt, Deborah Kerr, Cary Grant, Richard Denning, Neva Patterson, Fortunio Bonanova
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Straight forward Cop Thriller Disadvantages: Crimianl under use of a few big stars, Ashley "B Movie" Judd
...memorable in films, but with Twisted I’d totally forgotten he played Jessica’s partner till I went on imdb.
There is absolutely no chemistry between him and Judd’s character although the story seems to suggest there should be. Instead I felt that any scene with them together felt flat and rather tiresome. That’s as much down to Judd’s overall performance however. I’ve seen her in a few films recently and I’ve quickly come to the conclusion ... ...feel she has anything to offer as a leading star as her performances all seem to be the same. She is a safe choice for a straight forward script and it doesn’t appear that she has much more to offer.
All in all it’s not a totally terrible film and in places it’s worth watching, I just doubt I’ll ever feel inclined to do so again. The criminal under use of two great actors really leaves it as a bit of a let down. As safe plots go then ... more
It’s true what they say, films go straight to Video/DVD for a reason. Just recently it seems I’ve been watching a lot of these sorts of films. The latest being Ashley Judd’s latest straight to failure Twisted. I’m assuming it didn’t make it as far as our cinema screens by the fact I’d never heard of it. It does however star Samuel L Jackson and that swung my decision to watch it. It had to at least be half way decent surely?
The plot is a pretty simple Cop thriller type of affair. We meet Officer Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd) as she makes an arrest in an old derelict building. As a result of this arrest she is promoted to homicide and is assigned a new partner, Mike Delmarco (Andy Garcia). Things on the work front couldn’t be better for Shepard; her personal life is in total contrast. She is seeing a psychiatrist to help her overcome her problems. These from picking up strangers in bars for sex to trying to deal with her father, an ex cop, going on a killing spree resulting in both his and her mother’s death.
She had been brought up by her fathers ex partner John Mills (Samuel L Jackson) who now holds a high position within the police. Not only does she see him as a father figure but also as a role model and he helps her whenever he can. Things start to go wrong for Jessica after her promotion; she drinks a lot to forget about her problems. Normally that’s not a problem until her ex lovers start turning up dead and suddenly she’s a suspect in her own case. She needs to solve the case and clear her name before anyone else dies.
There isn’t anything spectacular in the film and it follows a pretty well trodden path. It lacks any new elements and explorers a story that’s been told many times before. If you can normally see endings coming then it’s quite easy to work out what is going to happen. If you want a run of the mill cop thriller then this is certainly a good film to watch. If you want something more, something enjoyable then this certainly should be avoided.
It was only director Philip Kaufman’s second film in the last 10 years and the first of his I’ve actually seen. He doesn’t seem to be a regular film maker, with only 11 films since 1965. Based on this I can’t say I’ll be rushing to see any new stuff he’s involved in. There are far too many scene’s where the lighting is too low, making it hard to distinguish what’s happening. The camera angles seem to be all wrong as well. They rotate around the action scenes and generally make it feel like a chore to watch certain parts of the film.
The story is pretty simple to follow and both credit and criticism go to the writer, Sarah Thorpe. She has written a pretty safe idea for a film but as I watched it I couldn’t help feeling there could be a lot more too it. Instead she’s followed the Hollywood master plan and unfortunately it hasn’t quite worked for them, there are just far too many moments of blatant stupidity.
With a cast list that includes 2 pretty big Hollywood names even the acting seems to scream straight to video film. For the normally impressive Samuel L Jackson he seems to be in cruise control. The use of Jackson and the lack of character development seem to cost the film a saving grace. He is pretty much a back ground character for a lot of the film and could have made it so much better if he’d been used a lot more. The same goes for Andy Garcia. He usually is at least memorable in films, but with Twisted I’d totally forgotten he played Jessica’s partner till I went on imdb.
There is absolutely no chemistry between him and Judd’s character although the story seems to suggest there should be. Instead I felt that any scene with them together felt flat and rather tiresome. That’s as much down to Judd’s overall performance however. I’ve seen her in a few films recently and I’ve quickly come to the conclusion that she’s found her calling in B movies. I don’t feel she has anything to offer as a leading star as her performances all seem to be the same. She is a safe choice for a straight forward script and it doesn’t appear that she has much more to offer.
All in all it’s not a totally terrible film and in places it’s worth watching, I just doubt I’ll ever feel inclined to do so again. The criminal under use of two great actors really leaves it as a bit of a let down. As safe plots go then this has been taken straight from the Hollywood How to write scripts. It wont leave you speechless and it certainly wont stick in the mind. I should probably have stuck with my initial instincts and left it on the shelf.
Advantages: Thriller Movie with Good Cast List... Disadvantages: .... But so Formula it make F1 look exciting, Waste of Cast, Predictable and Unintelligent.
Why? Thats the question I asked myself after watching Twisted. Why do they write and film scripts like this? Think of all the better scripts that could have been made into a decent film. Why does Samuel L Jackson and Andy Garcia star in such pap? It doesnt progress Ashley Judd's career either.
Overall the movie is not a bad one (I've seen worse) if you like cop thrillers, but after watching it, it's instantly forgettable. If there had to be an award ... ...it. Fiery Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd) plays a cop who gets promoted to a homicide invesitgator after arresting a serial killer. Her character is dogged with personal problems stemming from her memories of her father, an cop who went on a killing spree ending with the killing of his wife and himself. Sheppard is bought up by her father's partner John Mills (Samuel L Jackson) who treats her like his own daughter. Although full of self-confidence ...
rayliu 19.07.2004
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Twisted (DVD)
A disappointing movie, is all I can say.
Ashley Judd can do more with a subtle facial expression than most do with a soliloquy.
BUT.. in twisted, her acting was a little over the top. Ashley Judd plays a character called Jessica Shepard, who is a disturbed pollice officer on the trail of a serial killer, and is promoted to homicide once the killer is caught.
She is haunted by the memories of her father, who like her was a cop, but also a serial ... ...own wife and then himself.
John Mills (Samuel L Jackson) was the partner of Jessica's father, and raises her like his own. She has a string of one-stands to forget about the bad memories.
Jessica teams up with Mike Delmarco (Andy Garcia) for her first assignment in homicide. The victim is a man she had a one-night stand with. Thinking this as only a mere coincident, they continue with the case. Until, more of her casual lovers turns up dead. Am ...
kamfisa 20.07.2004
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Twisted (DVD)
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to ...
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "Twisted (DVD)"
Advantages: good props, acting, no singing Disadvantages: the actors look too similiar to the older film version
of Oliver Twist is fantastic. The actors perform to a good standard and I loved the fact that the film brought in additional actors such as Bill Sykes' friend that robs houses with him. The actors have an uncanny resemblance to the traditional musical version of Oliver Twist and Ben Kingsley as Fagin was truly a sight to watch. In the story of Oliver twist there is an array of personalities adhered to each character; from watching this film one is left with the impression that greed is mans Achilles heel and each man serves his punishment... eventually. The only problem I have with the film is that it wasn't more original. the film was made in 2005 and should have tried to provide something unique and original such as the BBC televised version of Charles Dickens' novel made in 2007. The DVD costs a mere £5 from HMV and is packed with special ...
Advantages: It wasn't to expensive Disadvantages: Its very long
Oliver Twist is a interesting film. It keeps you glued to your seets and its a film for all the family with bits of comedy and emotion. The film is about a young boy which is an orphan called oliver who is moved around to different orphanages regularly. As he grew up he was forced to work and live in a warehouse. Afterwards he ran from the warehouse and ended up in london, here he was found by a man called Fagan who took him him and taught him how to steal. I enjoyed many parts of the movie especially the parts when Oliver is being taught and his character devepment during the movie. He grows in confidence and learns much from Fagan. Oliver twist is a long film and some of the story may be deemed boring for some of the audience. On the whole Oliver Twist is a fantastic production and was well worth the money i payed for it, I would ...
Advantages: A wonderfully atmospheric film Disadvantages: None
"You have to savour Dickens, you have to enjoy him. You can't just skip through in shorthand......you have to have very strong photography, black shadows and brilliant highlights." David Lean
OLIVER TWIST
I can hear your groans from here, ?Oh no, she?s reviewing another oldie!!? and yes I am, and I don?t care!!!!!
You?ve all heard it said that the oldies are the best!!
This review is of David Lean?s 1948 adaption of ?Oliver Twist?, the restored DVD released in 2008. (ASIN: B001AJ34C6)
I am sure that when most people think of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" on film, their thoughts automatically go to the 1968 musical ?Oliver!
While I agree that it was a great film, if you are looking for a film however, that is a more serious and truthful, by far the best film adaption of ?Oliver Twist? is David Lean?s classic 1948 ...
PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT; TECHNICOLOR DIST. SERVICES
Release date
04/10/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
PHE 8535
Barcode
5014437853530
Languages
Main Language
English
DVD Description
Against the moody, fog-laden backdrop of the San Francisco waterfront, police detective Jessica Shephard (Ashley Judd) becomes embroiled in a darkly personal hunt for a serial killer in this Hitchcockian psychological thriller directed by Philip Kaufman (THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, QUILLS). Jessica, a San Francisco street cop, has been appointed detective by Police Commissioner John Mills (Samuel L. Jackson), her surrogate father and mentor. Together with her new partner Mike Delmarco (Andy Garcia), she goes after her first assignment, a murder, and is ready for anything until she realizes that the corpse is a man she once slept with. What seems like a bizarre coincidence becomes all too suspicious when the next murder victim is also an acquaintance of the police detective--who is also a blackout drinker with an appetite for anonymous, rough sex. Nightly she returns home, drinks a glass of red wine, and awakens to the news of another victim. Haunted by her own family tragedy (her father went on an insane killing spree and killed her own mother and himself), Jessica begins to doubt her own sanity and suspect herself to be the killer.
![Twisted [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78508995.jpg)
![Oliver Twisted [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/81150090.jpg "Oliver Twisted [DVD]")
![Twisted Dvd [2004] | Strathairn Sealed Free Uk P&p](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/icons/no_pic_generic_S1.gif "Twisted Dvd [2004] | Strathairn Sealed Free Uk P&p"){kind=icon}
