Twisted (2004)

Wonderful character development!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The main problem I had with this is that the real killer was somewhat obvious from the beginning. Also, it was DEFINITELY obvious by the halfway mark because you know the cast of actors and you're just wondering why the REAL star hasn't had much screen time and when we find out he did by trying to act up a flourish it was like DUH! Other things... I like Ashley Judd, but in this she somehow is elevated to investigator although she has an obvious alcohol problem and looks hung over a lot at work. None of her coworkers or her boss didn't notice? I could deal with her having so many one night stands, but when they turn up murdered, isn't she supposed to be a detective? And if she was concerned she was the killer, WHY would she tell everyone on the force after one lover after another of hers showed up dead?!?! You'd think she'd keep her mouth shut! Also, I mentioned her alcohol problem above, but she seemingly goes into a blackout every time a murder occurs. If you were her don't you think you'd go a little easy on the red wine until the end of the investigation? And, I'm a pretty accomplished drinker, and I know what's enough to buzz me, to get me drunk, and I've only blacked out a couple of times. You think she wouldn't figure out that something was UP with that wine???? Sheesh. So the idea that she was being drugged didn't really occur to me because if I had a few glasses of wine or an entire bottle or two and blacked out I'd still know something was wrong because you know how much does what to your system. So I just assumed that she WAS drinking enough to black out.Andy Garcia has really gotten puffy. I remembered him as being really attractive at one point.In all, it isn't awful, and if you like thrillers and whodunit's it is somewhat watchable. I made it through to the end. Just know that you probably had it figured out just from the cast list from the beginning.

This suspense thriller features Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd) attending a celebratory party due to her promotion to the rank of inspector and transfer to the homicide department. We are thus introduced to various characters including John Mills (Samuel L Jackson) as her mentor after the death of her father, Jimmy Schmidt (Mark Pellegrino) as her ex lover and a secretive stranger at the bar. After leaving the party she heads to a bar where she picks up a stranger. At work she attends her first homicide with her new partner Mike Delmarco (Andy García) and it transpires the deceased is a former one-night stand of hers. As the bodies of her ex lovers pile up she soon falls under suspicion, especially from one of her new colleagues. Her drinking problem grows and she begins to black out for increasingly long periods, doubting her own sanity. Is she the killer-inheriting the tendencies from her serial killer dad, perhaps it's ex Jimmy who takes his frustration on those that have replaced him, is it the new partner who obviously has a crush on her or is it one of her colleagues with their own agenda.All gave strong performances. There are not very many women out there that can give great performances without using fake long hair and lots of cleavage. Well, Ashley Judd can. The tension built between all three characters was fabulous and some good performances from the supporting cast. The atmosphere of the famous Bay area location of San Francisco was well shot, almost reminiscent of the old Streets of San Francisco and Macmillan and Wife but with a much more interesting plot and better acting.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

(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

As the opening credits appear on-screen, viewers are greeted by some beautifully captured images of San Francisco in the morning: the Golden Gate bridge shrouded in cloud, pelicans soaring past the cityscape, boats chugging lazily along the river. It's easily the best part of the film.The rest of the movie is tired neo-noir/erotic thriller, a desperate attempt to outdo the likes of Sea of Love and Basic Instinct that suffers from a predictable, suspense-free and extremely flawed script, dreadful central performances from Ashley Judd and Andy Garcia, and a wasted appearance by Samuel L. Jackson.Judd plays feisty, emotionally troubled cop Jessica Shepard, whose new position as an inspector in homicide doesn't get off to the best of starts when she becomes implicated in a series of murders, having shagged the victims not long before they were killed. Shepard is quite possibly one of the most unlikable characters I have ever seen in a thriller, an alcoholic nymphomaniac floozy with a short temper who might possibly be sexy if it wasn't for her pudgy face, horrible bull-dyke hairstyle, and loathsome personality.One can usually rely on Jackson to put in a decent performance, but here he is running on empty, clearly struggling to make anything of his embarrassingly clichéd character, while Garcia once again comes across like cut-price Pacino who has eaten a few too many donuts.