Twisted film review

certificate_15

TWISTED

If an Ashley Judd thriller is your thing then Twisted might just work for you. However, if the thought of another convoluted thriller with a beautiful but vulnerable heroine brings you out in a cold sweat, then you're best avoiding this mediocre and plain silly mess in which political correctness takes a new turn and a once decent director shows distinct signs of career decline.

Judd stars as Jessica Shepard, a newly promoted homicide detective in a department filled exclusively with men, among them the suave Andy Garcia and the straight-talking Commissioner Samuel L Jackson. Jessica is troubled - her father was a notorious serial killer, she drinks too much, and in a break with sexual conventions on screen, sleeps with just about every stranger she bumps into. One of the twists of the tale is that her one night stands soon show up floating in San Francisco's bay and the detective herself becomes the central suspect in their murders.

First-time scribe Sarah Thorp delivers a script that is so hammy and unbelievable that the only real effect on the audience is to evoke chortles of derision. We are meant to identify and sympathise with Jessica's plight, but the doe-eyed Judd fails to convince as either a steely detective or a murder suspect. Despite trying to be ground-breaking the overall result is something hugely dated.

Philip Kaufman showed promise with The Right Stuff back in the 80s, made the over-rated Henry and June and recently had a career surge with the interesting and well-received Quills. Here, however, he flounders in a sea of sexual mishaps - it's an attempted big budget erotic thriller that falls well short of the mark. Shot in a gloomy, almost half-hearted manner, with little evident attempt to cover up an inane script, it's pedestrian fare.

Samuel L Jackson phones in another performance as himself and appears to be in danger of becoming something of a caricature - with recent films including S.W.A.T and Basic, he's wearing a little bit thin playing the same old character each time. Continuing to try to impress upon us that he's a great actor despite his waning good looks, Andy Garcia does at least add some charm, but as Judd's partner and potential love interest he's also stuck with a character that sacrifices reality for the next plot twist.