Poor naïve Oliver. Mommy has passed away and he never knew his daddy. After a series of misfortunate events, he has found himself to be a 16 year old orphan/ runaway on the streets of Toronto. Lucky for him, while hanging out in a local café, he is discovered by Dodge, who seems to have a little experience in recognizing poor lost souls with no where to go.
Dodge is rather street wise, after all; he has been pounding the pavement nightly for quite sometime as a hustler himself. He offers Oliver some food and a place to stay and, which Oliver gladly accepts.
Dodge and a few of his cohorts live in a ramshackle abandoned building with their "supervisor" Fagin watching there every move. Fagin reports to Bill (whom we never see); who runs his stable of boys & girls with an iron fist.
Dodge also has quite a nasty heroin addiction, which he relies on to get the job done every night. Dodge decides to train Oliver in his wicked ways, which the young Oliver seems more than up to the task of learning.
So is the story of Jacob Tierney's adaptation of the classic Dickens novel "Oliver Twist". This is NOT the Oliver that I remember growing up; but it is still a decent movie nonetheless.
The movie chronicles the lives of these young men & women in a gritty and depressing fashion. The movie centers around Dodge, who is played quite skillfully by Nick Stahl. Oliver (Joshua Close) just happens to be the catalyst that could bring the whole business crashing down ..
Will he survive the clutches of Dodge, Fagin, and Bill? Well, you'd have to watch to find out for yourself.
Dodge himself is quite an interesting character, and we get to find out about his family background and what has led him up to this point. It's quite a downer of a story, but an intriguing one as well.
If you like movies that depict stories of sexual abuse and addiction, then "Twist" should be right up your alley. However, there are scenes in "Twist" (one in particular that is SO disturbing and so pervasive that it's barely watch able) that really make the movie hard to stomach.
The film is finely acted, written, and directed. "Twist" balances a fine line between reality and sickness in our culture. Worth seeing once; but this reviewer would have trouble watching Twist again due to some of it's content (especially the scene mentioned above). Some things, I do not feel need to be depicted just quite yet on film, no matter how brutally honest their intent may be.
Recommended, but only for those audiences who like there movies harsh and unforgiving. By the time Twist has concluded, this reviewer doubts that you'll be asking "Please sir, may I have some more"?
Dodge is rather street wise, after all; he has been pounding the pavement nightly for quite sometime as a hustler himself. He offers Oliver some food and a place to stay and, which Oliver gladly accepts.
Dodge and a few of his cohorts live in a ramshackle abandoned building with their "supervisor" Fagin watching there every move. Fagin reports to Bill (whom we never see); who runs his stable of boys & girls with an iron fist.
Dodge also has quite a nasty heroin addiction, which he relies on to get the job done every night. Dodge decides to train Oliver in his wicked ways, which the young Oliver seems more than up to the task of learning.
So is the story of Jacob Tierney's adaptation of the classic Dickens novel "Oliver Twist". This is NOT the Oliver that I remember growing up; but it is still a decent movie nonetheless.
The movie chronicles the lives of these young men & women in a gritty and depressing fashion. The movie centers around Dodge, who is played quite skillfully by Nick Stahl. Oliver (Joshua Close) just happens to be the catalyst that could bring the whole business crashing down ..
Will he survive the clutches of Dodge, Fagin, and Bill? Well, you'd have to watch to find out for yourself.
Dodge himself is quite an interesting character, and we get to find out about his family background and what has led him up to this point. It's quite a downer of a story, but an intriguing one as well.
If you like movies that depict stories of sexual abuse and addiction, then "Twist" should be right up your alley. However, there are scenes in "Twist" (one in particular that is SO disturbing and so pervasive that it's barely watch able) that really make the movie hard to stomach.
The film is finely acted, written, and directed. "Twist" balances a fine line between reality and sickness in our culture. Worth seeing once; but this reviewer would have trouble watching Twist again due to some of it's content (especially the scene mentioned above). Some things, I do not feel need to be depicted just quite yet on film, no matter how brutally honest their intent may be.
Recommended, but only for those audiences who like there movies harsh and unforgiving. By the time Twist has concluded, this reviewer doubts that you'll be asking "Please sir, may I have some more"?