Chris:
Ashley Judd is fast becoming the queen of the pleasantly mediocre thriller. Just look at Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, and Eye of the Beholder. While you never kick yourself for having seen one of these films, you don’t exactly recommend them to your friends. The same can be said about Twisted. Not quite curly fries, but possibly a basket of onion rings, if you know what I mean.

Judd plays Jessica Shepherd, a furiously independent female SFPD cop freshly promoted to Homicide. Naturally, her first day on the job coincides with the latest serial killer’s first, and bodies start piling up. Oh yeah, and they’re all former one night standers of Agent Shepherd. Naturally, she becomes a prime suspect, what with her share of anger issues and being proudly promiscuous and all, but with the blackouts she’s been experiencing and decades old emotional wounds being re-opened by her psychologist, she’s not exactly sure those suspicions are unfounded.

Twisted unfolds at a pleasant enough pace, but if you happen to be up to date with the current urban legends, you’ll figure out this one’s twist less than halfway through. The dialogue, while head scratching-ly bad at times, servers its purpose, effectively reinforcing plot developments those with excessively short attention spans may end up missing. Ashley Judd delivers a passable performance, looking great as always, while Andy Garcia does his best Al Pacino impression to show off what a wild and crazy character he might be. Likewise, Samuel L Jackson is, well, Samuel L. Jackson, and our fair city of San Francisco looks wonderful. As with Judd’s previous thrillers, it’s not necessarily thrilling, or particularly twisted, but you’ll have a nice enough time if your sweetheart is buying. Just don’t expect to experience another Seven, Jennifer 8, or Thesis with this one.

Kris:
I’m so torn. I love Samuel Jackson, Ashley Judd is gorgeous, and Russel Wong was so hot in Joy Luck Club. That guy from Sneakers (David Strathairn as Judd's therapist) who slightly resembles a squished Dustin Hoffman, is an pro at the furrowed brow look. In fact, every minority is represented here! Nice! Plus it’s filmed here in San Francisco (*sigh*) and there’s a even a sort of Bruce Campbell look-alike. Well, that’s your first clue in unraveling my semi-boredom with this film. If I’m trying this hard to salvage a nice comment, it couldn’t have been that much of a “thriller”. Of course it’s fine for tired, grinded employees looking for some escapism on the weekend, but it’s not well fabricated for those hungry for suspense.

I think the main cast has done and can do much better, but in this movie, Camryn Manheim and a couple of sea lions were the most animated characters. And I’m underwhelmed by Philip Kaufman’s direction, since he’s responsible for Quills, Rising Sun, Henry & June, Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Right Stuff, The Wanderers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the good version), so I guess it rides on the editing and the script. Kaufman’s style is drawn out and sometimes cliché, but it usually works well because it dwells on the sanctity of unspoken communication (i.e.: lovers’ gaze). Here, there were numerous opportunities to dwell once again, since Ashley Judd attracts one demented suitor/stalker after another, and her hidden history is textbook cuckoo, but I was left disinterested. I would have loved to have seen more desperation as she examines her sordid history, but it was a decent effort, and I held my optimism the whole way through.

Overall, the subject matter was compelling in the written synopsis and in theory, but it was terribly diluted and pale in execution. The moments meant to shock and confuse and throw the audience off course, just made them chuckle. If you want to get deep and dirty with psychological profiles (and I’ve compiled a ton for Ashley Judd’s character from the first five minutes, so let's chat), then you’ll be disappointed, but if you want someone to hold your hand and slap you in the face after an hour-and-a-half, then plunk down your moolah and park your brain at the door.

--Chris Nelson
--Kris Kobayashi