DVD Review: Twelve

Chace Crawford can’t escape the Upper East Side it seems. However, Twelve is a much darker take on the lives of the rich and popular… even though identifying the Blair Waldorf and Serena Van Der Woodsen doesn’t take long.

Twelve takes a look at the corrupt side of money and popularity as a young drug dealer named White Mike (Chace Crawford) caters to the drug needs of the Upper East Side after losing his mother to breast cancer. When a new drug called twelve hits the streets, the ante is upped. Twelve is a drug that works insanely quickly based off what we learned from watching Jessica (Emily Meade) have her first encounter with the substance. The second you take it, you feel it. And as New York’s wealthy wannabe crowd gets ready for Sara Ludlow’s (Esti Ginzburg) birthday, you know something big is about to go down. The drug deals and unstable sibling back from rehab fill the film’s climax with the tragedy you saw coming from the beginning. Again proving that rich kids with absent parents will always fall victim to being stupid or needing mental help.

But there may be a glimmer of hope though for White Mike still. His friend from childhood Molly (Emma Roberts) lives a life that is the exact opposite of his, and it’s clear that his feelings for her run deeper – he just can’t pursue them due to his lifestyle. The film’s ending brings hope of a promising future where things might just turn around for White Mike if he can leave the world of dealing behind.

Overall, it’s a haunting film that will leave you impressed not only with how the script was executed, but also the style in which it was shot. It reminded me a little bit of Brick which is one of my favorite films. Brick was stronger in my opinion, it had a film noir element going with the script, plot, and the dialect that I thought was truly original and effortlessly executed (whereas in Twelve it feels like they try a little too hard to be original). However, after I got midway through Twelve I was able to stop drawing comparisons between the two films… and also drawing parallels with Gossip Girl and the less convincing version of Blair and Serena.

Another interesting aspect of the film was the narration which carried us from the back stories to the present thoughts of the main characters. If you’ve seen the film, you may be thinking that the narration sounds eerily familiar, and those of you who were 24 fans would be right on. The haunting voice over is provided by Keifer Sutherland. And while narration like this is often debated as to whether or not it adds to the film, I found it very effective in setting the tone.

Don’t go looking for special features with this film, you’ll be sorely disappointed. But with that being said, the film alone is memorable and haunting enough that you’ll want to add it to your collection.

Grade: B+
Review By: Emma Loggins

Buy It On Amazon: Twelve [Blu-ray]