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:

An elusive killer. A brilliant detective. Maybe one and the same?

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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

Jessica Shepard's (Ashley Judd's) final confrontation with the villain was filmed at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. The ship behind her is the Balclutha (1886). She was acquired by the San Francisco Maritime Museum in 1954, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Two of her three square-rigged masts, and their lower yards, are clearly visible behind Jessica.

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Goofs

In the early bar scene when the Police Commissioner comes to congratulate Jessica he passes the same bar costumer twice.

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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

Featured in The Inspectors: Clues to the Crime (2004)

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Soundtracks

For Bill
Written & Produced by Mark Isham
Performed by Rich Ruttenberg

User Reviews

Great film noir

Just saw TWISTED and I really thought it was great. Though I've spent time there, San Francisco looks so mysterious in the film that it seems like a different city, a fog-bound city of lovers and their killers. Ashley Judd is terrific as the cop who thinks she might be the killer. It is a truly twisted ride to the end. Sam Jackson gives a bravura performance at the end. I read somewhere that he really pursued the film and I can see why. Andy Garcia is great as her strange partner.

TWISTED is a film noir. Someone just sent me an excellent definition: "...a film noir is a crime story in which the characters in the grip of urgent appetites (sex, money and revenge are the most popular) are driven to perform extremely dangerous, complicated and often morally dubious acts, and in which the prevailing mood--a mixture of fear, desire and desperation-- is intensified by both a single-minded economy of narrative and an almost oppressive formality of graphic design.." TWISTED is not a typical Hollywood film, nor is it an Ashley Judd "woman in jeopardy" film. This is a bold role for a great actress.

I've read some extremely stupid and unfair things written here about the film. There is such a thing as a "black out" syndrome (just ask any psychologist) and everything seemed very accurate to me (I have friends who work in law enforcement who also enjoyed the film even though a cop is the killer). I think it's sort of like a political debate where everyone is trying to agree with each other instead of seeing the film for what it is. I hope people can see it and enjoy what the filmmakers clearly intended: a sexy, twisted film noir.