Cult film director, producer, writer, editor and actor Neil Breen is back with his most ambitious project yet.
A tale of two genetically enhanced twin brothers (both played by Breen) will try to save the world from an unknown cybernetic threat. One will stay on the side of the law—the other will take justice into his own hands.
This is a generously concise way of describing the film’s plot. Past fans of Breen’s work can relate to how frustratingly hard it is to understand the plot of his movies. Most of his films make David Lynch movies look like Saturday morning cartoons, and Twisted Pair is no exception.
The film opens with a pan shot of the sun rising behind the earth, reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Then, there is a sharp cut to a black screen where a 3D render of a face—which looks like it’s from an early Playstation game—appears.
While this is going on, Breen, as protagonist Kade Alistair (yes, that’s his name) gives a stiff narration about artificial intelligence. It serves as the perfect introduction to the wild ride which is the rest of the film.
As you probably guessed, the film is technically terrible.
The surreal editing makes the film almost incomprehensible; the soundtrack is pretty much stock trailer music; the special effects look straight out of some mid 90’s straight-to-VHS movie; and the script is full of nonsensical dialogue, amplified by the cast’s wooden deliveries.
The movie was filmed on the Nevada State College campus, which is all at once a secret high-tech lab, a restaurant, and a public plaza.
However, no film must reach perfection in order to be enjoyable, and this is a clear example of this.
While Twisted Pair fails in every level in being an action film with social commentary, it does succeed as an unintentional comedy.
While the CGI looks cheap and fake, that only adds to the fun during scenes where explosions awkwardly fill a classroom.
Breen’s acting capabilities rival Tommy Wiseau’s in how weird and inhuman they are. Watching him trying his best to emote sadness as he tries to persuade his brother (which is Breen with a cheap beard and a hoodie) to turn himself in to the cops is something to be witnessed—preferably with a few friends and some drinks.
There is also a sense of honest effort on the film, crappiness aside. You can feel that Breen tried his best to deliver a legitimately good movie, like a modern-day Ed Wood—famous only for people roasting his past films, but still not giving up.
Directors from other terrible films like Samurai Cop or Birdemic have tried to repeat the same magic, but they fail because they become self-aware and stop trying.
In Breen’s case, he has no idea how awful his films are—and his ignorance is our bliss.
In the end, Twisted Pair is a new star on the so-bad-that-it’s-good walk of fame, right alongside Troll 2 and The Room.
If you’re into films like those, I wholeheartedly recommend that you check this one out this upcoming winter, because sometimes, when it’s getting cold outside and you have to stay at home, there is nothing warmer than a dumpster fire.
Provided photo
