''Twist'' is a 2021 British

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

film directed by Martin Owen and co-produced by

Noel Clarke Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is an English actor, writer, director and producer. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2006, 2008, 2010), he received critical acclaim for writing, directing, and ...

and

Jason Maza Jason Maza is an English (people), English actor, producer, director and screenwriter. Early life Maza grew up in Romford. He began acting at seven years of age. Career Early work Maza was accepted to the Central School of Speech and Drama ...

, who also stars in the film. The film, based on the 2014 Tom Grass novel ''Twist'' which is itself an adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' 1838 novel ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'', stars Rafferty Law,

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

Lena Headey Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is an English actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO fantasy drama series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she received ...

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (; born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer-songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Rig ...

and Sophie Simnett. ''Twist'' was released on

Sky Cinema Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema ...

on 29 January 2021 and was met with negative reception from critics.

Plot

A thief named Tom Chitling steals an envelope from a safe and escapes from guards, but is thrown off a building by an unseen assailant. The envelope is stolen while Tom is left to die. Years before, a boy named Oliver lived with his mother Molly and their hobby was painting. After Molly dies from unknown causes, Oliver runs away scared due to not knowing anyone else. He teaches himself to free run and gets the nickname "Twist". One day while graffiti spraying on a traffic warden's van, the police chase him and he meets Dodge and Batesey (The Artful Dodger and Charles Bates). They escape to their den near the Truman Brewery where Twist meets Fagin, their carer. The next morning, Twist draws a giant graffiti painting on a building. Fagin sends Red (Nancy Lee) to invite Twist (who is smitten with her) to his for dinner. Meanwhile, Fagin meets with a friend of his named Sikes (Bill Sikes) revealing she pushed Chitling. Twist stays with the family and Fagin reveals his plan to steal from art dealer Dr. Crispin Losberne who took everything from Fagin. They then steal his phone and Batesey makes a copy. Meanwhile, Red, as a distraction, asks to be an intern for Losberne, so the next day Fagin gets the blueprints to Losberne's gallery. Twist meets Sikes and her dog Bull's-Eye. Fagin explains that Losberne once went into partnership with a Mr. Issac Solomon who Losberne also betrayed. Red plants a small bomb in Losberne's bathroom to steal a lost painting by

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraving, engraver, pictorial social satire, satirist, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from Realism (visual arts), realistic p ...

. The bomb floods the basement and causes the painting to have to be moved. Back at base, Twist finds out that Red and Sikes are a couple upsetting him. At a pub, Red appears and Sikes’ goons attack the group while Dodge plays Ever Fallen In Love in the jukebox. Twist and Red escape to a pool where the two kiss and run through the park. Twist is arrested by the traffic warden from earlier and is interrogated by Detectives Brownlow and Bedwin who tell him about Chitling. Twist is let free and gets back to base. Batesey is planning to get in a box to steal the painting while it's on the move but because he's claustrophobic, Twist switches places with him. Losberne finds out about the thieves and this causes Twist to fall out the van. Sikes picks Batesey up and apparently kills him. Twist gets back to base and asks "What happened to Tom Chitling?" and Sikes reveals that she killed Tom. Fagin makes a plan to break into the auction building. Disguised, the group sneak in and Fagin plants a gun in Losberne's chair. This causes a big evacuation. Twist steals the painting and escapes with Dodge. Batesey, who is still alive, reveals that Sikes tried to kill him and meets them at the base where Twist reveals he made a duplicate of the painting and has hidden the real one. He and Red escape and Sikes shoots Fagin. She then chases them to a rooftop and is shot by Fagin and falls off the building. A week later, Twist meets Bedwin and Brownlow at a café and leaves them the envelope and a key. He then calls Brownlow hinting that the painting was right next to them the whole time. The envelope reveals the true owners of the painting and the key leads them to a locker owned by Losberne (who is arrested) which houses many stolen artwork. Fagin is revealed to be Issac Solomon and leaves the gang. It's also revealed that when Twist was in the van, he snuck a painting by his mother and it goes on display at the National Gallery. The film ends with Twist telling the gang to stop stealing and start selling paintings while he and Red start a relationship.

Cast

Raff Law Rafferty "Raff" Jellicoe Frost Law (born 6 October 1996) is an English actor. Early life Law attended Bedales School in Hampshire. He appeared in his first play aged five or six in a school production of ''Pinocchio''. He also played Long John ...

as Isaac "Fagin" Solomon *

as Sikes *

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

as Brownlow *

Franz Drameh Franz Alhusaine Drameh (born 5 January 1993) is an English actor. His film debut was in Clint Eastwood's fantasy drama, ''Hereafter (film), Hereafter'' (2010). He also appeared in British film ''Attack the Block'' (2011) and the 2014 blockbuste ...

as Batesey * Sophie Simnett as Nancy "Red" Lee *

David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...

as Dr. Crispin Losberne *

as Bedwin * Dominic Di Tommaso as Tom Chitling *

Leigh Francis Leigh Izaak Francis (born 30 April 1973), who is often known by the name of a character he plays, Keith Lemon, is an English television presenter, comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for creating and starring in Channel 4's sketch co ...

as Warden

Bumble Bumble is an online dating and networking application launched in 2014. Profiles of potential matches are displayed to users, who can "swipe left" to reject a candidate or "swipe right" to indicate interest. The app is a product of Bumble Inc., ...

Nick Nevern Nick Nevern (born 8 December 1980) is a British actor, screenwriter and director. He is best known for his roles in ''EastEnders,'' '' Shameless'', '' The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan'' and '' The Hooligan Factory''. Early life N ...

as Ron

Production

It was announced in October 2019 that a new take on the

novel had begun filming, with Raff Law cast to play the titular Twist.

was cast as

Fagin Fagin () is the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a " receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates ...

, with

and

cast as female renditions of

Bill Sikes William Sikes is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists (alongside Monks) in the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. Sikes is a malicious criminal in Fagin's gang, and a vicious robber and murderer. Throughout much o ...

and

Artful Dodger Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket and his nickname refers to his skill and cunning in that occupation. In the novel, he is the leader of th ...

, respectively.

and Sophie Simnett were also cast. The film was produced by Pure Grass Films, along with Unstoppable Film and Television, and First Access Entertainment Film and Television. The UK-based company Koala FX was responsible for the digital make up and advance clean up.

Music

Ora wrote a song for the film entitled “Flame”. The soundtrack was composed by Neil Athale and produced by Tom Linden who also wrote a song for the film (credited as TL) alongside Laura Greaves entitled “Get Back Up”.

Release

distributed the film within the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, with

Saban Films Saban Capital Group LLC is an American investment company based in Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the ...

distributing within

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. Originally, the film was set for a 2020 release. However, the film was pushed to 2021. It was released on 29 January.

The Vaccines The Vaccines are an English indie rock band, formed in West London in 2010 by Justin Hayward-Young and Freddie Cowan. The band currently consists of Young (lead vocals, guitars), Árni Árnason (bass, vocals), Timothy Lanham (guitars, keys, ...

’ unreleased song Wanderlust from their 5th LP Back In Love City was played during the trailer.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, it has a 9% score, based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 3.40/10. Its critic consensus reads, "The real Twist in this lunkheaded Dickens update is the involvement of Michael Caine, who hopefully got another terrific house out of it."

Peter Bradshaw Peter Nicholas Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire'' magazine. Early life and education Bradshaw was educat ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' gave it two stars out of five, saying that 'the action and comedy are under par'. Clarisse Loughrey of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' gave it one out of five stars, writing, 'With its hectic pace and textbook needle drops –

The Fratellis The Fratellis ( ) are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, formed in 2005. The band consists of three unrelated members, who perform under pseudonyms: lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, bassist Barry Fratelli, and drummer Mince Fratelli ...

' "

Chelsea Dagger "Chelsea Dagger" is a song by Scottish rock band the Fratellis. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album, '' Costello Music'' (2006), on 28 August 2006. It is named after Jon Fratelli's wife Heather, a burlesque da ...

" makes an appearance – ''Twist'' never really functions as much more than another

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films. Ritchie left school at the age of 15, and worked in e ...

homage.'

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{Oliver Twist 2020s British films 2020s English-language films 2020s hood films 2021 crime drama films 2021 films 2021 LGBTQ-related films British crime drama films British LGBTQ-related films English-language crime drama films Films based on Oliver Twist Films set in London Films shot in London Lesbian-related films LGBTQ-related crime drama films Oliver Twist