Yay!  It’s another film I couldn’t be bothered writing a serious review for.  So I’ll keep things short and sweet and short.

I’ve said it before so why not say it again.  How is it that a person of great intelligence can be so stupid?  In Twisted, Ashley Judd plays Detective Jessica Shepard (Judd) – one of the best in the business.  She’s just cracked a big case and her mentor and boss, John Mills (Jackson), has marked her for a big promotion.  Let me make sure I’ve painted this picture correctly.  Ashley Judd is a brilliant investigator who always has a sixth sense and can solve any mystery.

Anyway, this Jessica Shepard finds herself the subject of her own mystery which she cannot solve.  Two bodies wash up on the dock and Jessica knows both of the victims – she has had casual sex with both men over the last few weeks.  She tells her boss and new partner Mike Delmarco (Garcia) who agree with her theory that a serial killer is profiling her.  But Jessica is determined to catch this guy and is prepared to put her life on the line to stay on the case.

Lo and behold, more people end up dead.  What I can’t understand is why Jessica doesn’t suspect the person she should.  Oops, I hope I didn’t give too much away.  The answer is right in front of her eyes and for such a gifted professional, I’d have thought better of her.  Jessica also suffers blackouts at night and it takes a surprisingly long time for her to work out that her wine has been drugged.  Everyone in the audience knew it so why didn’t she?

It’s a strange performance from Ashley Judd.  I like the screenwriter’s idea of creating a flawed character but Judd takes it too far.  It’s a weak performance from an actress I usually have high regard for.  You can write off Samuel L. Jackson and Andy Garcia in this flick.  At least they do what they’re told to do – look creepy and say lots of stuff that might have audience members (but not Jessica) suspect them.

Director Philip Kaufman is a legend to many having made The Right Stuff (1983), The Unbearable Lightness Of Being (1988) and his most recent film, Quills (2000).  Without a decent script though, you have nothing and in Twisted, Kaufman has… nothing.