Twisted

Review by Clint Morris

What’s the bet there’s a room at the back of Ashley Judd’s house that adorns nothing but Halle Berry pictures?

Not a dedicative shrine but a series of magazine rips and contented snaps of Berry – only with holes ripped where her eyes should be and pins stabbed throughout each pic.

Can’t really blame her. After all, had Berry not stolen the role of “Catwoman” from Ms Judd, she might never have had to headline turkeys like Twisted.

Granted, Twisted isn’t unlike some of Judd’s earlier films - so what’s the big beef? It’s another of those flashy Hollywood thrillers where the bobbed brunette plays a strong female character that has to overcome a seemingly more powerful male protagonist.

But having suffered through that same role in films like Kiss the Girls and Double Jeopardy, it’s understandable that one would like to see something a little different from the actress for a change.

The film adaptation of DC Comics Catwoman – which Judd was attached to for quite some time before being replaced by Berry – might have been the overhaul her fledging career needed. So much for that.

Something that would have otherwise have gone straight to video had it not been for it’s three name stars, Twisted is a passé serial killer thriller with twists as banal as Californian weather and characters as one-dimensional as a business card.

Jessica Shepard [Judd] is a San Franciscan cop with a lot of pent-up anger and a penchant for one night stands. When the guys she’s slept with start turning up dead – she becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. But naturally, she doesn’t remember doing any of it.

Is she unconsciously killing people? Being drugged into doing something? Or is someone setting her up? Yep – not much to be said for a flick that can be summed up in a matter of two short sentences.

Ridiculously clichéd with enough plot holes to evoke a major studio protest, Twisted has got very little to offer. Judd’s okay, but Jackson’s slumming and Garcia, wow, what was he thinking? This would have to be the worst-written character he’s ever agreed to playing.

All glitz and no guts, Twisted is bottom of the pale cinema, and yes, further attestation for Ashley Judd to hate Halle Berry.

1.5 out of 5

Twisted
Australian release: Thursday May 20th
Cast: Ashley Judd, Samuel L.Jackson, Andy Garcia, David Strathairn, Russell Wong, Camryn Manheim.
Director: Philip Kaufman.
Website: Click here.

Brought to you by MovieHole