Arguably Charles Dickens most famous work, Oliver Twist has been adapted for the silver screen four times (the earliest nearly one hundred years ago in 1922) and has inspired a musical and a Disney animated film. So was a fresh adaptation, updated to modern times really needed? Unfortunately Twist for all its fresh faced cast and ambition fails to bring the heart and soul of Dickens Oliver to the big screen. 

 

In director Martin Owen’s updated take on the classic Oliver Twist, Twist (played by Jude Law’s son Raff) is a building-leaping graffiti artist who sleeps in the National Gallery and annoys the cops to a soundtrack of decades-old indie tunes. Twist skips the book’s orphanage chapters and moves straight to its young hero falling in with east London art thief Fagin and his gang of misfits, including a gender swapped Dodge and Sykes. Together, this gang of street hustlers plan the art heist of the century.

 

While Twist is an interesting concept, a modern take on Oliver Twist, and is still an entertaining watch at times, it just falls flat. For all the promise of the film's concept, there are no characters that you really warm to as you do with the characters in the original text. Also if the action sequences aren’t predictable they’re ludicrous to the point that they rip you out of the reality of the film.

 

Raff Law tries his darndest to helm this film and shows real promise, but even he can’t save this film who’s high ideals are never quite executed. 

 

Unfortunately Twist for all its fresh faced cast and ambition fails to bring the heart and soul of Dickens Oliver to the big screen.