Good start, but then it gets ruined

good back-story, and good acting

Did you people see the same film I saw?

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

From the middle tier of what we know as being Neo-Noir, Twisted is a frustrating experience. Right off the bat the cast list boasts weighty worth, giving us the promise of a dramatic thriller, filmed on location in Frisco, with misty lenses, lamp lights, waterside moods etc, it's set up a treat. As is the premise...Ashley Judd stars as a newly promoted hot-shot police detective, who in quality noir traditions has a whole heap of problems going on. Her family back story is shattering, she herself is heavily reliant on alcohol and she likes casual sex with strangers, strangers who start turning up dead, the kicker of which sees her basically investigating herself as a the prime suspect! Unfortunately with everything in place the pic never shifts out of first gear. The red herrings stack up, but nothing with any real conviction, and the whole premise starts to get monotonous, worse still the big reveal really isn't a surprise. There was a raft of these type of films in the 80s and 90s that were done much better, and on completion of viewing this effort one hankers for those pics - not to mention for the film noir of old!Ashley Judd always frustrates, one can see a very good actress in her body of work, but she's more often than not starring in so so thrillers. It can possibly be argued that her co-star Andy Garcia is a great actor who hasn't reached the heights he should have, the days of The Untouchables and Godfather III seeming to be fleeting glimpses of talent. Here he gets a thankless role that's poorly written, while both Samuel L. Jackson and David Strathairn add nice touches but aren't asked to extend themselves. Directed by Phillip Kaufman who as with Rising Sun, here also looks out of his comfort zone with the genre. But the presence of Mulholland Dr. DOP Peter Deming is noticeable and one of the pics strengths. 5/10

Rarely do I watch movies and actually get mad because they are so dumb. This movie managed to do that for me, and had me fast aghast at the lines being read. We got a really good cop, who is so good that , at parties she Impresses people with a party trick, that involves her remembering every minor detail of people and places that she hasn't been told to study. This cop gets a big promotion because she single handed took down a notorious serial killer. Bodies start showing up with the same M.Os and around this time, our cop, who is a borderline alcoholic starts to mysteriously pass out every time she drinks a glass of red wine. (She isn't alarmed) We also become aware that she has had one night stands with each of the victims of the serial killer. (She now starts to think she is actually a serial killer instead of become suspicious of a cop that she dated who is a total jerk and obsessed with her in a really creepy kind of way.) No. That guy never makes the suspect pool. And she keeps on drinking the wine , despite really bad experiences after one glass. I won't spoil the entire affair, but I will sum up with a totally ludicrous villain ( that made no sense at all, it's like the writer was like, "who can I pick, that no one will suspect because in real life, they would never do it, and it would defy all kinds of logic and rational thought ?") But the writer does pick that impossible person, and this film is so cheese ball that at the end, he does that thing where the killer decides to tell the cop his life story and the motive and solve the entire mystery for our dumb audience .. This film is so ridiculous on so many levels. Watch it if you want to laugh. How much money did the studio waste on this, when they could've picked some unknown writers script and launched him into a career ? Because I know every single other option was miles better than this one. It's funny. The end is classic. I was kinda sad to see Andy Garcia in this one, though. He is a talented guy.. Ashley Judd never was an actress, you can tell she has paid a lot of money to become one, with acting lessons and on set coaches, but her "talent" is bought and paid for.. Like most newer actresses these days with pretty faces. On film, any poor loser can work, with a good acting coach, editing , good co stars. And if everyone else is doing their good well. Hilarious. Truly. (Tapping forehead) "Why did they spend so much money to make this movie again?" She must know someone, this writer. She must be like Speilbergs kid.

Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd) is an up and coming San Francisco police inspector after catching a killer. Her mentor John Mills (Samuel L. Jackson) is the commissioner who is also her father's former police partner. She has a dark sexual side and her psychiatrist Dr. Melvin Frank (David Strathairn) wants to dig into her father's series of killings including her mother and himself. Her ex-partner and lover Jimmy Schmidt (Mark Pellegrino) is possessive of her. She get promoted into Homicide with new partner Mike Delmarco (Andy García). She faces a hostile group of detectives. Then she starts blacking out and losing time. Her sexual flings starts getting murdered by a serial killer.It starts as an OK creepy noirish dark vibe. It pushes too hard sometimes but it's not bad. First off, she shouldn't be passing out like she's been drugged. It takes away the possibility that she is actually the one doing the killing. There is a paranoia with that possibility that is completely missing. The audience assumes that she's not the killer. The movie would be better without that assumption. Then the twisty thriller lacks the execution. It's all dark. The mystery isn't there. None of the characters are compelling. It's a thriller without thrills.

(Credit, IMDb) 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 paceI saw this on DVD over a year ago. I don't remember too much about it, so my memory is probably a little sketchy. I do remember that I was pleasantly surprised by how watchable it was. There were some decent twists and turns, as well as above average character development. I think the problem with serial killer flicks is that many things have been done before, and it's hard to be original. It is derivative, but fairly enjoyable. I thought Ashley Judd was as solid as ever. Samuel L. Jackson is always great. Andy Garcia was good as well. Is it original? hell no. Is it bad? I didn't think so. I'll give it a recommendation for a rainy day watch6/10