The new Philip Kaufman movie "Twisted" (** out of ****) lives up to its contorted title. This provocative but unconvincing erotic thriller starring Ashley Judd, Samuel L. Jackson, and Andy Garcia emerges as a less suspenseful distaff version of the Clint Eastwood serial killer saga "Tightrope" (1984), but with a heroine who behaves like the nymphomaniac in 1977's "Looking for Mr. Goodbar." A first-rate cast flounders in freshman scenarist Sara Thorp's darkly-themed, neo-film noir, crime melodrama that casts sexy brunette Judd as a thuggish San Francisco policewoman with a bit of "Dirty Harry" Callahan in her blood. Thoroughly unoriginal with an artificial 'gotcha' ending as contrived as many of the antics in this improbable police procedural about a mass murderer on the rampage in the city by the bay, "Twisted" lacks a sympathetic heroine. This gal gulps wine like a fish and has an attitude problem that would have prevented her from earning a promotion above traffic patrol in the most backwater town. When a fellow detective insults her in front of her peers, she staggers him with an unceremonious kick in the kidneys. Nevertheless, Kaufman, who has helmed consistently better movies, like "The Right Stuff," "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," the 1978 "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" remake, and "The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid," makes this implausible potboiler palatable, with laudable help from "Scream 2" cinematographer Peter Deming. San Francisco has never appeared moodier, and SF native Kaufman stages the action in several atmospheric locales which enhance the film's harsh, gritty subject matter.
Policewoman Jessica Shepard (Ashley Judd of "Ruby in Paradise") is one tough cookie. "Twisted" opens as she tangles with sexual predator Edmund Cutler (Leland Orser of "Pearl Harbor") who sticks a knife in her throat. Little does this potential rapist know he has picked the wrong policewoman as his prey. Suddenly, Jessica turns the tables on Cutler and claps him in handcuffs. Down on his knees in front of her, Cutler pleads for mercy. Our plucky protagonist responds with a stunning kick to his face, smashing his nose. While it's a case of police brutality, this scum deserves more than just a broken beak. Nonetheless, Jessica finds herself in hot water and attends sessions with straight-arrow department psychiatrist Dr. Melvin Frank (David Strathairm of "Passion Fish") who wants to assess her mental stability. This couldn't have occurred at a worst time. No sooner does this happen than SFPD Commissioner John Mills (Samuel L. Jackson of "Basic") has her promoted to the rank of inspector. Turns out Mills raised Jessica as his own after her cop father went crazy, murdered her mom, then committed suicide. Jessica gets a new partner, veteran detective Mike Delmarco (Andy Garcia of "Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead"), who shows her the ropes on the homicide squad. When Jessica isn't in conference with Dr. Frank, she spends her time getting drunk on Napa red and blacking out. During her mysterious blackouts, a serial killer starts knocking off guys Jessica has picked up at seedy bars she cruises when off-duty. Mills objects to her promiscuity, but Jessica ignores him. Initially, her homicide superior, Lieutenant Tong (Russell Wong of "The Fast and The Furious"), wants to take her off the case, but Commissioner Mills rejects that idea. "I'm not pulling her from her first homicide case! It would kill her career." Everybody on homicide, except Delmarco, believes Jessica is killing these guys. After all, she flies off the handle at the least suggestion of impropriety. When Delmarco makes a pass, Jessica grimly reminds him, "Anyone who kisses me turns up dead." Even Jessica begins to suspect she might be doing it during her alcohol-fueled blackouts.
The biggest problem with "Twisted" is its gallery of suspects. Indeed, audiences have more than enough possible candidates to choose from, but most are either deceptive dead-ends or obvious red herrings. For the uninitiated, red herrings are conspicuous clues made to mislead moviegoers. More red herrings and dead-ends turn up in "Twisted" than the scores of seal lions lounging on the piers of San Francisco. Naturally, the pleasure of any whodunit is discovering the killer's identity before the cops catch him. Sadly, when Kaufman and Thorp unveil their villain in the last reel, you feel cheated by the outrageous revelation of his identity. Just when you think you have the killer identified, the moviemakers whip the rug out from under you. Make no mistake, the villain here truly qualifies as the last person you would suspect! Most of the time, the last person you suspected really turns out to be the last person you suspected. However, the moviemakers stand logic on its head and refuse to provide you with all the incriminating evidence until the heroine figures whodunit herself. No, I won't divulge the identity of the psychopath, except to say nothing about his motives seem remotely credible. Watch the Ashley Judd & Morgan Freeman movie "Kiss The Girls," if you want to see a better serial killer thriller. Moreover, when the villain outs himself, his story sounds so preposterous you cannot help but shake your head. All-in-all, Camryn Manheim gives the most interesting performance as a "Quincy" style OCD forensic technician. When "Twisted" doesn't qualify as downright implausible, this 97-minute, R-rated opus remains largely impenetrable.
