Twisted (2004/I)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

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:

Continuity: When Jessica leaves the lab after dropping off the blood sample, the Mustang she is driving does not have a roll cage. In earlier scenes, her Mustang is shown with a roll cage.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Jessica Shepard: [cradling a drugged hypothermic Mike] I'm so sorry I thought you were the guy.
Mike Delmarco: [smiles] I am the guy.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Inspectors: Clues to the Crime (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Fandangos

It has all Of the elements but......

To hear Director Philip Kaufman tell it, "Twisted" was supposed to be the best film noire picture since the classics of the 40s. Not so. It has most of the elements of film noire..the dark lighting, the darkened streets and a murder mystery. But it doesn't quite work.

Officer Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd) is a kick ass police officer who has just been promoted to Homicide Inspector. Now it seems that the comely young officer also has a penchant for violent behavior and one night stands. Her mentor is none other than Police Commissioner John Mills (Samuel L. Jackson) who has raised her and nurtured her career following the tragic deaths of her parents some years earlier.

Shepard's new partner turns out to be Mike Delmarco (Andy Garcia) whom she had unknowingly met the previous evening during a party at a bar in her honor. Suddenly, Jessica's one night lovers begin turning up dead, brutally beaten. At the same time, she has been experiencing blackouts immediately before the murders. She then begins to suspect that she may be responsible.

Sounds good huh? I though so too but on watching it I guessed who the murderer was almost right away. This took away any suspense the director was trying to build by placing suspicion on other characters. We do get some nice shots of San Francisco though.

The petite Ashley Judd is just not convincing as a tough love 'em and leave 'em cop. She does her best work in the psychological scenes where she comes unraveled at the thought that she may be murdering these men. Jackson does the best he can with limited material. He is off screen more than he is on. I thought that his character could have been fleshed out a little more. Garcia, playing an Italian again, does what he can with his role. TV's Camryn Manheim puts in a appearance as the forensic examiner Lisa.

Not nearly as good as Director Philip Kaufman would have you believe.