Down Twisted

Trapped in the convoluted aftermath of a double cross, kindly, overworked waitress Maxine's (Carey Lowell) decision to assist her sketchy roommate Michelle (Trudi Dochterman)rapidly descends her ordered life into a chaotic maelstrom of increasingly dangerous incident! B-maestro Albert Pyun's laudably energetic, downward spiralling crime thriller Down Twisted, while not often mentioned, happily remains a fun, quick-fire 80s time killer. Carey Lowell's naïve, yet plucky hard luck protagonist Maxine is hugely sympathetic, and the amusingly unsavoury group of ne'er-do-wells she brusingly encounters are frequently choice. I appreciated the film's zippy pace, Lowell's charming personality, and the splendidly boppy new wave'd synth score!

Great 80's verité (like Miami Vice). A low-budget but likeable caper movie.

A wealthy industrialist hires six thieves to steal a valuable relic from the fictional country of San Lucas just before the annual parade celebrating the relic. He gets double crossed by his own team of thieves, most notably Charles Rocket (SNL, Earth Girls Are Easy). Carey Lowell (Law & Order, Sleepless in Seattle), the baddest Bond Girl. is an innocent bystander dragged into the plot.

Keep an eye out for Courteney Cox at the beginning of the movie.

One of the best art theft genre movies ever made. Lots of back stabbings with double-crossings, triple-crossings, and quadruple-crossings galore.

However, it's a very 1980's movie, and didn't age well, which probably accounts for it's contemporary unpopularity. A remake would be immensely popular.

For years, the only way to see Down Twisted was to catch it late at night on Cinemax. The movie was not available on VHS (except for $100 rental store copies), and isn't currently available on DVD, so you'll have to beg AMC to broadcast it.

If you can find it, it's well worth the viewing.

OK, so you probably already know it's not on the leader board for best movies of the decade. But, really, it is a fun movie. If you like campy comedies you will really like this one. Sure its a bit predictable, sure it doesn't have a-list stars, sure it requires willing suspense of disbelief, but come on, if you look at the cast and director, what more can you expect. Charles Rocket does a fine job as the bumbling hero and everyone else fills in the necessary protagonist and antagonist roles. Give it a chance. You remember Evil Dead? Stakeout? Big Trouble in Little China? As long as your expectations aren't too high you won't be disappointed.

I started watching this for the soundtrack, who doesn't love a little Oingo Boingo. I have also been a fan of the beautiful and charming Carey Lowell. I always thought she and Linda Kerridge would have has bigger careers.

A nice little mystery adventure in the mold of "Romancing the Stone," with a better looking cast.

The moral of the story is thieves and liars think everyone else is a thief and a liar. Great twist at the end.