HiMovies

If there is something we should really appreciate Edward DrakeIn his latest films, also known as the Knight Trilogy, the director never strives for anything other than making fun vehicles starring a very famous face. These are the movies that are being released to a very specific non-niche audience, it’s very smart to forgo the movie you’re showing.

However, Drake never likes cheesiness. Sure, his screenplays aren’t great pieces of narrative storytelling, but at least you can feel that he’s always stepped out of his comfort zone, with character arcs that go beyond the simplistic traits that an action thriller might bring. Detective Knight: Rogue it was a neat showcase of good character actors alongside one of the biggest action stars. Only this film had a well-constructed concept to present and delivered something that could not be replicated. No, Drake can be accused of anything but being a director with cheap moves.

In Part 2 Detective Knight: Redemption, James Knight is in prison for a crime he has openly admitted to committing. He pays for something he deserves after a night’s assault turns to revenge. Casey Rhodes, played by the stunning Beau Mirchoff, is also in this prison after surrendering to keep his family away from him.

But that’s not the story in the sequel. It is about a series of bombings in the city’s banks. A gang of criminals wearing very disturbing Santa masks breaks in and creates chaos. Their order of the day seems to be simply destruction. Those? A very vocal leader whose rage against capitalism goes very far.

Knight and Rhodes are in the middle of a jailbreak during this series of events, and they both end up in very different places. Knight decides to help his former buddies catch the killer, and Rhodes ends up in the hands of a criminal with a very clear goal.

The Knight trilogy seems to be about the antagonists’ arcs. They are fairly prominent as verifiable characters facing off against a jaded Bruce Willis who probably makes a few bucks in these movies. OK. We’ve had this conversation before, and we know why it’s happening. Drake puts him at the center of movies about emotional battles that have more to do with morality than the shallow grasp of a powerful criminal. He insists on making them strong and we like him for that.

Paul Johansson because Ricky Conlan is really, really good. Considering it’s an action thriller and doesn’t require a lot of character, Johansson steals every scene she’s in, as her multi-layered interpretation is good enough to hold her own against Knight, Rhodes and everyone else. The movie wouldn’t be as good without him. His presence in the third act is not very balanced, but the plot twists are subtle enough to accept these stumbles.

Good action sequences (love the digital effects), solid premise and great performances. What else we need from Drake’s trilogy is to feel in the hands of a director whose passion is to make a few viewers happy and fulfill his mission to make everyone smile by giving us a solid version of Willis. Detective Knight: Redemption a good sequel to the first entry, but also good as a standalone film.

Oh, and Lochlyn Munro he is always happy to do his job.

Founder of Screentology. Member of OFCS. RT rated critic
Dog daddy.