Detective Knight: Independence Movie Review

 

Detective Knight: Independence

Movie Review

 

Detective Knight: Independence also known as Devil's Knight  is an American action film directed by Edward Drake, who wrote the screenplay and co-wrote the story with Corey Large. Serving as the third and final installment of the Detective Knight trilogy, it stars Bruce Willis, Jack Kilmer, Lochlyn Munro, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Willow Shields, Dina Meyer, and Timothy V. Murphy.

After the events of Redemption, Detective James Knight tries to stop a rogue vigilante and an out-of-control EMT vehicle from putting the city in danger on Independence Day. The detective's race against time also involves saving his own home from a suspected explosion.

The film opens with a bank robbery that comes to a bloody end with Detective Knight played by Bruce Willis, shooting the last of the gang while he holds a woman hostage. Also on the scene are paramedics Dezi played by Jack Kilmer, and Ally played by Willow Shields, Dezi always wanted to be a cop but got turned down as mentally unfit, which should tell you just how fucked up he is. To cut entirely too long of a story short, Dezi ends up stealing a uniform and gun and playing vigilante, something Willis should understand having starred in the Death Wish reboot.

In keeping with the films’ holiday themes, Detective Knight: Independence takes place on the Fourth of July as Dezi comes into conflict with Knight, Fitzgerald played by Lochlyn Munro, Sango played by Jimmy Jean-Louis, and the rest of L.A.’s finest.

Director Edward Drake once again directs from a script he wrote with story input from Corey Large. This time out, whether due to artistic ambition or lack of money to stage action scenes, he seems to be trying to make a more character-driven film that draws comparisons between Knight and his adversary.

Both are first responders. Knight is under investigation for endangering the hostage, and Dezi loses his job after a complaint is filed against him. Dezi had a shitty father played by Timothy V. Murphy, and Knight is a shitty father. Most importantly both are willing to go outside of the law to deliver what they consider justice.

Unfortunately, the director is too busy playing with the camera, giving us montages and split screenshots to develop the concept of them being two sides of the same coin. Not that would be a particularly original concept, but it’s better than leaving it half-developed. He also doesn’t take full advantage of an unhinged vigilante dressed in a police uniform. Someone should have made Drake and Large watch the Maniac Cop trilogy before they wrote Detective Knight: Independence.

Granted Detective Knight: Independence is better than the previous film, but that’s not to say it’s a particularly good film. The characters are too shallow for the film to make the points it seems to be trying to make and the action scenes are too few and too bland to deliver much in the way of thrills. The most interesting thing about them is the opening one is shot like a video game and during the robbery that ends the film Grand Theft Auto is referenced.

But there are some amusing exchanges of dialogue here and there as well as a couple of good performances also. It’s not nearly enough to save Detective Knight: Independence, but if you go in with sufficiently low expectations you might be entertained.

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