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Twist
Metascore
39 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 3 out of 13
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  1. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    70
    Under Tierney's admirably low-key, unexploitative direction all his actors are memorable and never seem to be acting. Twist is decidedly dark but consistently engaging.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: David Stratton
    70
    Shot on location in subdued colors, Twist offers much less hope for its troubled characters than Dickens did. Its very downbeat vision may turn off auds, which is a pity because the film has a great many qualities, not least the admirable performances of Stahl, Close and Pelletier.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    63
    Unfortunately, despite some strong performances, the movie never really makes a case for its own existence.
  4. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    63
    It's a mini-masterwork of acting. Stahl is definitely one to watch closely -- he's the real deal. But the emerging plot isn't.
  5. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    50
    There's nothing original, nor compelling, about Twist.
  6. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Ruthe Stein
    50
    Although the acting is uneven and the movie's dead spots make it feel far longer than its running time, the twist in Twist' is certainly clever.
  7. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    40
    Tierney's so-serious script lacks any trace of humor, which might actually have made this depressing film feel a bit more real.
  8. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    40
    A stripling of 24, Tierney has a very young man's immature passion for unrelieved misery, which borders at times on the tedious, at others on the downright comical.
  9. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Jorge Morales
    40
    Stahl plays just one note: anguish. You know things are bad when the most interesting character, the menacing brute Bill Sykes, is never heard or seen on-screen.
  10. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dave Kehr
    40
    In both Twist and "Idaho," the act of placing a larger-than-life literary figure in a constrained, narrowly naturalistic environment merely strips the characters of their scale and interest.
  11. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Frank Scheck
    30
    Even more egregious than the film's concept is its execution, as it somehow manages to make scenes of drug addiction, hustling and even brotherly incest quite tedious.
  12. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Foreman
    25
    More tedious than affecting.
  13. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    20
    An intriguing idea for about two seconds.
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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. CCrowe
    9
    Subtle, gritty with excellent acting. I liked the low key but honest emotional story. Not Hollywood style - much better. Extraordinary considering the age of the writer/director.… Full Review »
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