Twisted (2004)

Jessica, whose father killed her mother and committed suicide, is a police officer. While investigating a murder, she finds herself in the center of her own investigation, when her former lovers start being murdered.

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writer:

Sarah Thorp

Stars:

Ashley Judd, Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Garcia

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ashley Judd	...	Jessica Shepard
Samuel L. Jackson	...	John Mills
Andy Garcia	...	Mike Delmarco
David Strathairn	...	Dr. Melvin Frank
Russell Wong	...	Lieutenant Tong
Camryn Manheim	...	Lisa
Mark Pellegrino	...	Jimmy Schmidt
Titus Welliver	...	Dale Becker
D.W. Moffett	...	Ray Porter
Richard T. Jones	...	Wilson Jefferson
Leland Orser	...	Edmund Cutler
James Oliver Bullock	...	John Flanagan
William Hall	...	Chip Marshall
Joe Duer	...	Larry Geber
Jim Hechim	...	Bob Sherman (as James Hechim)

Storyline

Jessica Shepard is an on the rise police officer of San Francisco's esteemed police department, after having solved a big case about a serial killer. Her mentor John Mills is proud of Jessica as a father would be of his daughter, since Mills was the partner of Jessica's late father. With a newly established promotion, Jessica finds that she might once again have to prove herself in a department that takes no prisoners. Not to mention a new partner named Mike Delmarco, who might be Jessica's next closest thing to a confidant. However, a man has been found dead and the two officers are brought into the investigation. What they find is a surprise when the dead in question was a man Jessica slept with, he being part of a list of one night stands that Jessica has engaged in. Now under suspicion and a terrible drinking problem gnawing at her, Jessica will have to prove to her superiors and to her skeptical partner that she's not the one behind the murders and Mills is one of the few people ...

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Plot Keywords:

kicked in the crotch | kicked in the balls | pub | shorthaired woman | woman with short hair | 

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Taglines:

Every murder has a mark.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount UIP [Brazil]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English Italian Spanish

Release Date:

27 February 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Blackout Murders

Filming Locations:

Crissy Field, Presidio, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,904,299, 29 February 2004, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$25,195,050, 23 May 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Intertainment AG, Kopelson Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mark Pellegrino and Titus Welliver co-star in this movie, on the same side of the law. They appeared on Lost (2004), where they played opposing sides in the island's good and evil mythology, as Jacob (The Man in White) and The Man in Black.

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Goofs

When Jessica leaves the lab after dropping off the blood sample, the Mustang she is driving does not have a roll cage. In earlier scenes, her Mustang is shown with a roll cage.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Edmund Cutler: [knife to her neck] I can hear your heart beating. Sounds like you've got an animal in your chest, trying to get out. Sounds like blood. Sounds like flesh.
[starts unzipping her jacket]
Edmund Cutler: What's this? *What* *is* *this*?
Jessica Shepard: It's my gun.
[suddenly overpowers him and he's on the ground]
Edmund Cutler: Don't hurt me!

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Connections

References The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

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Soundtracks

One More Nite
by Johnny Nitro
Performed by Johnny Nitro & The Door Slammers
Courtesy of The Saloon Recordings

User Reviews

It has all Of the elements but......

To hear Director Philip Kaufman tell it, "Twisted" was supposed to be the best film noire picture since the classics of the 40s. Not so. It has most of the elements of film noire..the dark lighting, the darkened streets and a murder mystery. But it doesn't quite work.

Officer Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd) is a kick ass police officer who has just been promoted to Homicide Inspector. Now it seems that the comely young officer also has a penchant for violent behavior and one night stands. Her mentor is none other than Police Commissioner John Mills (Samuel L. Jackson) who has raised her and nurtured her career following the tragic deaths of her parents some years earlier.

Shepard's new partner turns out to be Mike Delmarco (Andy Garcia) whom she had unknowingly met the previous evening during a party at a bar in her honor. Suddenly, Jessica's one night lovers begin turning up dead, brutally beaten. At the same time, she has been experiencing blackouts immediately before the murders. She then begins to suspect that she may be responsible.

Sounds good huh? I though so too but on watching it I guessed who the murderer was almost right away. This took away any suspense the director was trying to build by placing suspicion on other characters. We do get some nice shots of San Francisco though.

The petite Ashley Judd is just not convincing as a tough love 'em and leave 'em cop. She does her best work in the psychological scenes where she comes unraveled at the thought that she may be murdering these men. Jackson does the best he can with limited material. He is off screen more than he is on. I thought that his character could have been fleshed out a little more. Garcia, playing an Italian again, does what he can with his role. TV's Camryn Manheim puts in a appearance as the forensic examiner Lisa.

Not nearly as good as Director Philip Kaufman would have you believe.