Of all the movies released this spring, the new horror flick, \Twisted,"" is one film that will not be making too many waves. It starts off as the average girl turned cop story line that leads into a string of murders involving a serial killer.
Starring Ashley Judd, Andy Garcia and Samuel L. Jackson, the plot follows Judd's character through her first case as a police officer in the homicide unit. The twist comes into play as she realizes that she knows all of the killer's victims. Judd and Garcia make their way through the case as they try to figure out what, besides her, the victims have in common.
Judd's character works the case with a near naivet coupled with unexplained aggression toward men. Her many violent outbursts add to this factor. While it may have proven difficult for Judd to play the part of a neurotic alcoholic, she played it as believably as possible considering the lack of plot development.
Jackson remains in the woodwork most of the film, a move to be left up to the writers to explain. He plays the much older and wiser commissioner of the precinct who attempts to help Judd with her personal problems. However, while attempting to play the part of her mentor, Jackson's character does not stick around long enough to make any lasting difference in Judd's behavior.
The film is jam-packed with numerous racy side plots that, although remain relevant to the story, detract from the underlying message.
One thing that the movie fails to do is put the viewer in that ""what if this were happening to me"" mindset. What this does is separate the viewer from the characters, causing them not to care what happens in the end. This move may have been purposeful on the part of the writers, but it did not work for the direction the film ends up taking.
Overplayed sexism becomes a theme throughout the movie as well, which becomes tiring after the first time Judd's character is teased by her coworkers for her lack of experience in the field. This is just one of the many predictable aspects the film has to offer.
The inexplicable fact is that the predictability does not stop, nor fails to repeat itself. While Judd does her best to maintain a believable plot, not even the most inventive acting could hold this movie up.
Unfortunately, the only crime -fighting Judd has is allowed to do is in the opening scene, where she catches a criminal completely unrelated to the serial killer case, and in the end of the film.
""Twisted,"" a somewhat entertaining film in the end, will not leave a lasting impression on anyone seeking a smart drama. The movie fails to do what every worthwhile movie of this genre should do, which is to leave the viewer wanting more.
