39
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70VarietyDavid StrattonVarietyDavid StrattonShot on location in subdued colors, Twist offers much less hope for its troubled characters than Dickens did. Its very downbeat vision may turn off auds, which is a pity because the film has a great many qualities, not least the admirable performances of Stahl, Close and Pelletier.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasUnder Tierney's admirably low-key, unexploitative direction all his actors are memorable and never seem to be acting. Twist is decidedly dark but consistently engaging.
- 63New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanUnfortunately, despite some strong performances, the movie never really makes a case for its own existence.
- 63The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenIt's a mini-masterwork of acting. Stahl is definitely one to watch closely -- he's the real deal. But the emerging plot isn't.
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceStahl plays just one note: anguish. You know things are bad when the most interesting character, the menacing brute Bill Sykes, is never heard or seen on-screen.
- 40TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxTierney's so-serious script lacks any trace of humor, which might actually have made this depressing film feel a bit more real.
- 40L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorA stripling of 24, Tierney has a very young man's immature passion for unrelieved misery, which borders at times on the tedious, at others on the downright comical.
- 30The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckEven more egregious than the film's concept is its execution, as it somehow manages to make scenes of drug addiction, hustling and even brotherly incest quite tedious.
- 25New York PostJonathan ForemanNew York PostJonathan ForemanMore tedious than affecting.