Cinematography that’s too dark? Check. Muddled sound that makes the dialogue hard to hear? Got it! Confusing plot? Yup. Must be an Albert Pyun movie.
Thieves steal an ancient relic and head to LA. Carey Lowell, two years away from becoming a Bond girl, gets roped in by her roommate into going along with her to a drug deal. Well, wouldn’t you know it? The roommate (Trudy Dochterman) winds up dead and Carey, along with a wimpy lawyer (Charles Rocket) gets kidnapped by a colorful gang of punks. They are both soon embroiled in the search for the priceless artifact and grudgingly have to work together in order to stay alive.
I think Down Twisted could’ve worked, but the script was just far too disjointed. This is one of those movies that relies on opening crawls, radio announcements, and obvious ADR to convey plot information to the audience. Not that any of it is really all that helpful.
The ending is weak too as things just sort of peter out. Afterwards, there’s a long montage set to UB40’s cover of “Suspicious Minds” that looks like it might’ve been meant for a closing credits spiel, but someone forgot to put in the actors’ names. If anything, it helps to pad things out.
The first act is the best. It’s here where Pyun seems to be trying to turn the usual action trope on its ear by making the actress a capable action hero while turning the lead actor into the whiny sidekick character that’s usually reserved for women in these kinds of pictures. However, since the movie hinges on characters not being who they seem, that dynamic quickly shifts. Before long, Carey is back to playing the more typical character of the girl who’s just along for the ride.
Down Twisted also suffers from a muddy look. Even the daytime scenes look too dark. The script is as muddled as the cinematography. It tries to pull the rug out from under you every twenty minutes or so through characters double crossing each other or revealing their true nature. This all seems superfluous though as the big reveals ultimately just boils down to another scene of Lowell and Rocket being chased.
This is far from Pyun’s worst, but I don’t think it will win over anyone unfamiliar with his work. The cast helps to keep you invested, even when the plot is spinning its wheels. Lowell is quite good, and you can tell the Bond producers probably saw this when they were casting Licence to Kill as she handles herself exceptionally well in the action scenes. Rocket has some nice moments too, especially later on when his character shows signs of being a competent action hero. Fans of Pyun will enjoy seeing his usual cast of characters such as Thom Mathews, Linda Kerridge, and Norbert Weisser popping up in there as well. You’ll probably also get a kick out of seeing Courteney Cox in her film debut. It’s just a shame that Down Twisted’s plot is so twisted that it leaves its leads in the lurch for much of the running time.
AKA: Treasure of San Lucas.
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