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Movies / On DVD / Twist
Twist

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Twist (2004)

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Reviews Counted:31

Fresh:5

Rotten:26

Average Rating:4.4/10

Consensus: Despite of its contemporary setting and some strong performances, this is a bland retelling of Oliver Twist.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:May 21, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: TWIST is a calmly lucid re-telling of Charles Dickens` classic Oliver Twist, updated to current times and moved out of the poor house and onto the streets of Toronto. Told from the point of view of... TWIST is a calmly lucid re-telling of Charles Dickens` classic Oliver Twist, updated to current times and moved out of the poor house and onto the streets of Toronto. Told from the point of view of The Artful Dodger (Dodge), TWIST is no longer a tale of the misfortunes of boys, but rather about the prosaically beautiful Oliver who falls into the hands of down-and-out young men. Dodge takes the young man under his wing and instructs him in the unforgiving arts of drug abuse and prostitution. As Oliver`s innocence dissolves, both young men confront inner and outer demons and, strangely, it is Dodge who finds he cannot escape his past. Faithful to the tragedy on which it is based, TWIST is about the creation of evil and the cyclical nature of violence that can keep even the bravest among us tangled in its web. Actor-turned-director/writer Jacob Tierney (The Neon Bible, This Is My Father), elicits exquisitely subtle performances from an ensemble cast featuring Nick Stahl (In the Bedroom, Terminator 3) and newcomer Joshua Close as the almost angelic Oliver. Although faithful to the social reformist impulse at the heart of Dickens` writing, TWIST translates the novel`s sorrow and fierce poignancy into starkly composed, beautifully cold images that will resonate with contemporary audiences. The film was a selection in both the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival. -- © Strand Releasing [More]

Starring: Nick Stahl, Joshua Close, Gary Farmer, Stephen McHattie

Starring: Nick Stahl, Joshua Close, Gary Farmer, Stephen McHattie, Michele-Barbara Pelletier

Director: Jacob Tierney

Director: Jacob Tierney
Screenwriter: Jacob Tierney
Studio: Strand Releasing

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 19, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Twist

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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Exceptional performances and effective raw moments, but too sordid for enjoyment.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
06/07/04
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

There's nothing here a handful of show-stopping production numbers--or a good steam cleaning--couldn't fix.

Full Review Source: Movie Boeuf | comment Comment
07/16/04
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
Movie Boeuf

Unrelenting in its tragedy, this movie should come with a major bummer warning or something to help you recover from the haunting images. The story is a little thin at times.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
08/06/04
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

More tedious than affecting, the film feels like an excuse for reproducing more of the kind of kinky imagery notoriously employed by fashion photographer Steven Meisel in his creepy pedophile advertisements for Calvin Klein.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
05/21/04
Jonathan Foreman
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Much of the film feels studied and contrived.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
05/21/04
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Stahl is definitely one to watch closely -- he's the real deal. But the emerging plot isn't.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
06/04/04
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
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The audacity of the concept is ill-served by flat direction and bad acting.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
05/19/04
Phil Hall
Phil Hall
Film Threat

One of the glummest recent attempts to drag a classic story into the 21st century.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
09/03/04
John Hartl
John Hartl
Seattle Times

Not much happens in Twist, apart from a dismal series of personal degradations, each more depressing than the last.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
06/04/04
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
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If there is anything to be gained from tugging Oliver Twist from early industrial London to contemporary Toronto, it is not evident in this small, bland Canadian film.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/04
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A surprisingly deep, dramatic twist on an old melodrama.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
08/19/04
Laura Kelly
Laura Kelly
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The only thing funny about Twist is how seriously it takes its own pompous preposterousness.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
08/05/04
Tom Maurstad
Tom Maurstad
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

You know things are bad when the most interesting character, the menacing brute Bill Sykes, is never heard or seen on-screen.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
05/18/04
Jorge Morales
Jorge Morales
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

transforming the ending into a more realistic outcome doesn't make this provocative arthouse fare

Full Review Source: ToxicUniverse.com | comment Comment
06/18/04
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
ToxicUniverse.com

A joyless series of shooting-up scenes.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
08/08/04
David Noh
David Noh
Film Journal International

My memory may be a little vague on this one, but I don’t recall any incest scenes in the original Oliver Twist

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/04/04
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

This would make Dickens suicidal, probably in more than one way.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
10/19/04
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

Apart from the somewhat novel conceit of turning Dickens into the stuff of a Gus Van Sant picture (see My Own Private Idaho), there's nothing original, nor compelling, about Twist.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
07/08/04
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Although faithful to the social-reformist urgency at the heart of Charles Dickens' writing, Twist translates the novel's mixture of evil and poignancy into a valid theme for today's hard-boiled audiences.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
05/20/04
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer
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Twist tries to be creative and profound, but I think it fails miserably.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
05/24/04
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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