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Twist

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Twist (2004)

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Reviews Counted:14

Fresh:2

Rotten:12

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

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Release:

Oct 19, 2004

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Reviews for Twist

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1 - 16 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/24/08
David Stratton
David Stratton
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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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
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The movie's far too stagy and pretentious.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
07/30/04
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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Cuaron ran into trouble by being overly faithful to Dickens' story, changing almost nothing except the setting.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
07/23/04
Ruthe Stein
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
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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
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Ultimately more unsavory than enlightening, and would have benefited from a more humorous approach to its purloined themes.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
06/22/04
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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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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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Decidedly dark but consistently engaging.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
06/03/04
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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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
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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
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Despite some strong performances, the movie never really makes a case for its own existence.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
05/21/04
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
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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
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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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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
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