A Marca

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.

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.

Brutal police officer Ashley Judd (as Jessica Shepard) has a taste for not only alcohol, but also rough sex with hunky young strangers, like handsome tattooed Joe Duer (as Lawrence Geber). Ms. Judd likes to take charge, in and out of the sack. When prowling studs become a serial killer's favorite target, Judd wonders if she may spending her "blackout" time as a psychopathic murderer. Believe it or not, that can be considered as a possibility - albeit only in the "Twisted" universe making up this film...

Partner Andy Garcia (as Mike Delmarco), superior Samuel L. Jackson (as John Mills), ex-boyfriend Mark Pellegrino (as Jimmy Schmidt), and psychiatrist David Strathairn (as Melvin Frank) are among those you may think are either suspects, or victims. Camryn Manheim is one of the smaller stars shining, in her role as "Lisa" the crime lab worker. And, Peter Deming's San Francisco location photography is nice. But, because it's so dumb, "Twisted" may keep you guessing even after the final revelation.

***** Twisted (2/23/04) Philip Kaufman ~ Ashley Judd, Andy Garcia, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Pellegrino

Police officer Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd) has just been transferred to homicide and promoted to detective inspector. Her first big case is a murder investigation of a man she had dated. The next day, another man shows up dead with the same cigarette burn on his hand, and he had also dated Jessica. The police are now looking for a serial killer who has the propensity to kill men Jessica has dated. Jessica begins to have dreams about her past, and she opens a box that belonged to her father. Jessica's father was a police officer who went crazy and killed his wife and her lovers, and then himself. His partner and later police commissioner (Samuel L. Jackson) raised Jessica, and taught her everything about police work. When a third murder occurs, her partner, Mike Delmarco (Andy Garcia) begins to watch and protect Jessica. Jessica goes to jail after the fourth victim ends up in her bed. She has no memory of any of the murders, because she blacks out before each murder. The story's twist is the identity of the real murder. You should be able to figure it out before the end, just look for the clues. (Paramount Pictures, Run Time 1:37, Rated R) (7/10)

Policewoman Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd) has anger issues and alcohol problems. She's also dealing with a serial killer who is targeting all the guys she ever had sex with. Samuel L. Jackson plays one of her best friends and Andy Garcia is her partner. They try to help but the killings continue and she gets more depressed, confused and angry...

This had the makings of a good film. It starts off with a interesting premise but slowly looses its way. The story is way too long (even at 90 minutes) and there are pointless side trips--WHY does Judd visit the killer from the beginning at his cell? He has nothing to do with anything in the film! The film thinks it's more deep and important than it really is. Also Judd and Garcia (both good actors) are TERRIBLE here. And the final resolution was pretty silly and--if you think of it--unlikely.

There are a few good things here--Jackson is very good (even though he's hardly in the film); it's pretty well-directed; Camryn Manheim is amusing in a small role and drop dead handsome Joe Duer has a fairly explicit sex scene with Judd. But--that's not enough to make this film worth seeing. This came and went VERY quickly--it's easy to see why. Plays like an R rated made for TV movie. I give it a 5.