TWISTED (2004)--Directed by Philip Kaufman. Stars Ashley Judd, Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Garcia, David Strathairn. Ugh. If you're still watching these junky Judd thrillers, there's little hope for you. KISS THE GIRLS, HIGH CRIMES, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, DOUBLE JEOPARDY...and this twisted tale, which is a career nadir for Kaufman, a sensitive, artistic filmmaker whose work includes THE RIGHT STUFF, THE INCREDIBLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Kaufman hasn't brought anything to the table, pasting Sarah Thorp's ludicrous screenplay right on the screen and allowing Judd to fumble her way through a role in which she's terribly miscast.

As Jessica Shepard, Ashley is a rough, tough San Francisco homicide detective who spends her evenings getting drunk, picking up one-night stands and sometimes all of the above. On her first murder case, she and her new partner Mike Delmarco (Garcia, looking a lot like Anthony LaPaglia these days) investigate a man who was found washed up on the beach with his face all smashed in. Jessica recognizes him as Bob, a guy she picked up and had sex with about a month earlier. Bodies continue to pile up around the Bay Area, all of whom belonging to men Jessica has slept with. So who's the serial killer? Her mentor, the police commissioner (Jackson)? An old boyfriend? One of the misogynist cops in her precinct? Her shrink (Strathairn)? Maybe it's Mike, who has the hots for her.

Truthfully, it doesn't much matter, as Kaufman trots out a steady display of red herrings and implausible behavior, until it comes time for the plot to wrap itself up. The killer's identity isn't that tough to guess, but his motive and opportunity really stretch believability to its limit. Judd doesn't play drunk very well, and anyone who drinks and suffers blackouts as often as she does would probably be unable to perform her job as well as Jessica does. Kaufman has assembled a nice supporting cast and finds a few interesting Frisco locations, but TWISTED is limited in suspense, plausibility, action and logic. Also with D.W. Moffett, Leland Orser, Russell Wong, Camryn Manheim, Mark Pellegrino, Richard T. Jones, Titus Welliver and Veronica Cartwright (from Kaufman's INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS). Music by Mark Isham.

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