Detective Knight: Independence

Last updated

Detective Knight: Independence
Detective Knight Independence poster.png
Official release poster
Directed by Edward Drake
Screenplay byEdward John Drake
Story by
Produced by
  • Robert Dean
  • Corey Large
Starring
CinematographyLaffrey Witbrod
Edited byJustin Williams
Music byScott Currie
Production
companies
  • 308 Ent
  • Arcana Studio
  • BondIt Media Capital
  • Buffalo 8 New Mexico
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release date
  • January 20, 2023 (2023-01-20)
Running time
91 minutes [1] [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$53,342 [3]

Detective Knight: Independence (also known as Devil's Knight) is a 2023 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 film series, and as a sequel to Detective Knight: Redemption (2022), it stars Bruce Willis, Jack Kilmer, Lochlyn Munro, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Willow Shields, Dina Meyer, and Timothy V. Murphy.

Contents

Detective Knight: Independence was released by Lionsgate in select theaters and VOD on January 20, 2023, followed by its release on DVD and Blu-ray on February 28, 2023.

Premise

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. [4]

Cast

Production

In October 2021, Bruce Willis signed on to star in an action film under the working title Devil's Knight, from writer-director Edward John Drake, for a back-to-back production with Christmas Knight in Vancouver, Canada, from November 17 to December 14, 2021. [5] [6] Filming had wrapped by January 9, 2022, while Trevor Gretzky was confirmed to have reprised his role for both films. [5] [6] [7] By September 2022, Devil's Knight was retitled to Detective Knight: Independence, and set a January 20, 2023 release date. [4] [8] By October 2022, Lochlyn Munro, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Corey Large, and Cesar Miramontes were set to reprise their roles from the first two films, while Willow Shields, Jack Kilmer, Alvaro Calderon, Dina Meyer, and Timothy V. Murphy were added to the cast. [4] [9] Detective Knight: Independence is one of the last films to star Willis, who retired from acting because he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. [10] [11]

Release

Detective Knight: Independence was released by Lionsgate in limited theaters and VOD on January 20, 2023, [12] [9] followed by its release on DVD and Blu-ray on February 28, 2023. [13] The film was previously expected to be delayed to July 2023, to tie into the Independence Day holiday. [14] [15]

Box office

As of January 3, 2024, Detective Knight: Independence grossed $53,342 in the United Arab Emirates and South Korea. [3]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 67% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.7/10. [16]

Anton Bitel of Projected Figures gave the film a positive review, summarizing that "Edward Drake's police trilogy closer is Bruce Willis' swan song, and a rueful reassessment of his career". [17] Evan Dossey of Midwest Film Journal also gave the film a positive review, saying the film is "the most straightforward of the trilogy, and also the best. Willis gets a little more to do here than in previous Knight thrillers". [18] Michael Szymanski of Mike Szy The Writer gave the film a 9/10 rating, writing, "this crime thriller trilogy of the Detective Knight series is a fitting finale to Bruce Willis's action movie career". [19]

In a negative review, Lapacazo Sandoval of New York Amsterdam News wrote "Would I ever pay money to watch this in a theater, the answer is no. Would I purchase or download this movie on a streaming service, again, the answer is no." [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Val Kilmer</span> American actor (born 1959)

Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, he found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), as well as the military action film Top Gun (1986) and the fantasy film Willow (1988). Kilmer gained acclaim for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991). He was cast as a main character in critically acclaimed films such as the western Tombstone (1993), and the crime dramas True Romance (1993) and Heat (1995). He portrayed Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995), and continued to star in films such as The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), The Saint (1997), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Alexander (2004), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), and The Snowman (2017). In 2022, Kilmer reprised his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

Lochlyn Munro is a Canadian actor. His most notable film roles include A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Scary Movie (2000), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), White Chicks (2004), The Predator (2018) and Cosmic Sin (2021). For television, he is perhaps best known for his roles in the Canadian series Northwood, supernatural drama Charmed, and teen drama Riverdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Johansson</span> Canadian actor (born 1964)

Paul Johansson is an American-born Canadian actor and director in film and television, best known for playing Dan Scott on the WB/CW series, One Tree Hill, The Notebook and for his role as Nick Wolfe on the short lived Highlander: The Series spin-off Highlander: The Raven. He directed the 2011 film adaptation of Ayn Rand's novel, Atlas Shrugged: Part I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman in film</span> Film adaptations of the DC superhero

The Batman franchise, based on the fictional superhero Batman who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, has seen the release of various films. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the character first starred in two serial films in the 1940s: Batman and Batman and Robin. The character also appeared in the 1966 film Batman, which was a feature film adaptation of the 1960s Batman TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, who also starred in the film. Toward the end of the 1980s, the Warner Bros. studio began producing a series of feature films starring Batman, beginning with the 1989 film Batman, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton. Burton and Keaton returned for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, and in 1995, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever with Val Kilmer as Batman. Schumacher also directed the 1997 sequel Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney. Batman & Robin was poorly received by both critics and fans, leading to the cancellation of Batman Unchained.

Die Hard is an American action film series that originated with Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever. All five films revolve around the main character of John McClane, a police detective who continually finds himself in the middle of a crisis where he is the only hope against disaster. The films have grossed a combined $1.4 billion worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beau Mirchoff</span> Canadian–American actor

William Beau Mirchoff is a Canadian-American actor best known for his role in the MTV series Awkward, his role as Jamie Hunter in Good Trouble, and his role in Now Apocalypse on Starz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gianni Capaldi</span>

Gianni Capaldi is a Scottish actor and film and television producer.

Corey William Large is a Canadian writer, actor, and producer of feature movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Willis filmography</span>

American actor Bruce Willis began his career in 1980 with an uncredited role in The First Deadly Sin. After guest-starring in a 1984 episode of Miami Vice, he appeared in the first episode of the 1985 revival of The Twilight Zone. Willis achieved fame starring in the ABC comedy-drama series Moonlighting (1985–1989), for which he received three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. In 1988, he starred as John McClane in Die Hard (1988), a film that spawned four sequels that earned him international recognition as an action hero.

John Wallace Kilmer is an American actor. He is known for starring in the 2013 film Palo Alto, for playing Pelle "Dead" Ohlin in the 2018 Norwegian black metal biopic Lords of Chaos, and for playing Ozzy Osbourne in Ozzy's "Under the Graveyard" video. He is also the narrator of Val, a documentary about his father Val Kilmer.

Edward John Drake is an Australian screenwriter and film director based in Los Angeles, California.

<i>Cosmic Sin</i> American science fiction film

Cosmic Sin is a 2021 American science fiction action film directed by Edward Drake. The film stars Bruce Willis, Frank Grillo, Brandon Thomas Lee, Corey Large, Perrey Reeves, C.J. Perry, Lochlyn Munro, and Costas Mandylor.

<i>Apex</i> (2021 film) 2021 film by Edward John Drake

Apex, titled Apex Predator in the UK, is a 2021 American science fiction action film directed by Edward John Drake and written by John Drake and Corey William Large. It stars Neal McDonough and Bruce Willis and was released on November 12, 2021.

<i>Gasoline Alley</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film by Edward John Drake

Gasoline Alley is a 2022 American action thriller film directed by Edward John Drake, starring Devon Sawa, Bruce Willis and Luke Wilson. It was released in the United States on February 25, 2022 by Saban Films.

<i>Assassin</i> (2023 film) 2023 film by Jesse Atlas

Assassin is a 2023 American science fiction action film starring Nomzamo Mbatha, Dominic Purcell and Bruce Willis. It was directed by Jesse Atlas, in his feature film directorial debut, written by Aaron Wolfe, and is based on Atlas and Wolfe's short film Let Them Die Like Lovers.

<i>Wrong Place</i> 2022 American film by Mike Burns

Wrong Place is a 2022 American action film directed by Mike Burns, from a script from Bill Lawrence, and produced by Randall Emmett and George Furla. It stars Ashley Greene Khoury and Bruce Willis.

<i>Detective Knight: Rogue</i> 2022 American action film by Edward John Drake

Detective Knight: Rogue is a 2022 American action film directed by Edward John Drake, from a screenplay by Drake and Corey Large, and produced by Large, Randall Emmett, and George Furla. Serving as the first installment of the Detective Knight film series, it stars Bruce Willis, Lochlyn Munro, and Jimmy Jean-Louis.

<i>Detective Knight: Redemption</i> 2022 American Christmas action film by Edward John Drake

Detective Knight: Redemption is a 2022 American Christmas action film directed by Edward John Drake, from a screenplay by Drake and Corey Large, and produced by Large, Randall Emmett, and George Furla. Serving as the second installment of the Detective Knight film series, and as a sequel to Detective Knight: Rogue (2022), it stars Paul Johansson and Bruce Willis.

The Detective Knight film series consists of American action films, directed by Edward John Drake from original stories he co-wrote with Corey Large. The series details the police investigations of veteran Detective James Knight, played by Bruce Willis; and are notable for being one of his final roles, before retiring from acting due to his health struggles with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnoses. The plot of each film centers around a different holiday, and follow the lead character's attempts to resolve the associated criminal activities.

References

  1. ↑ Tyrrell, Caitlin (January 13, 2023). "Bruce Willis Jumps Into Action For Detective Knight: Independence [EXCLUSIVE CLIP]". Screen Rant . Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ "'Detective Knight: Independence' (2023)". The Numbers . Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "'Detective Knight: Independence' (2023)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 P, Maddie (October 21, 2022). "Bruce Willis' 'Detective Knight' Trilogy: Release Date, Trailer, Cast, & Everything We Know So Far". Collider . Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Gittins, Susan (November 9, 2021). "Christmas Knight & Devil's Knight With Bruce Willis Block Shooting in Vancouver This Fall". Hollywood North Buzz. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Tangonan, EJ (September 20, 2022). "Detective Knight: Rogue – Did Bruce Willis make a trilogy no one knew about before retiring?". JoBlo.com . Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  7. ↑ Dawson, Angela (January 9, 2022). "Trevor Gretzky Takes A Swing At Acting, Joins Heavy Hitter Bruce Willis In 'American Siege'". Forbes . Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  8. ↑ Fu, Eddie (September 29, 2022). "Bruce Willis Could Appear in Future Projects Thanks to Deepfake Twin". Yahoo! . Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Billington, Alex (December 21, 2022). "Trilogy Finale 'Detective Knight: Independence' Trailer with Bruce Willis". First Showing. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  10. ↑ Rosenbloom, Alli (February 16, 2023). "Bruce Willis' family shares an update on his health and new diagnosis". CNN . Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  11. ↑ James, Meg; Kaufman, Amy (March 30, 2022). "Concerns about Bruce Willis' declining cognitive state swirled around sets in recent years" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  12. ↑ McManus, Samuel (December 21, 2022). "Bruce Willis makes one of his final movie appearances in trailer for Detective Knight: Independence". Metro . Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  13. ↑ Massoto, Erick (December 20, 2022). "'Detective Knight: Independence' Trailer: Bruce Willis Wraps the Trilogy With a Bang [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  14. ↑ Oddo, Marco Vito (November 4, 2022). "'Detective Knight: Redemption' Trailer Gives Bruce Willis One Last Action-Packed Christmas [Exclusive]". Collider . Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  15. ↑ Franklin, Garth (November 6, 2022). "Trailer: Bruce Willis In "Detective Knight: Redemption"". Dark Horizons . Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  16. ↑ "'Detective Knight: Independence' (2023)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  17. ↑ Bitel, Anton (January 4, 2023). "Detective Knight: Independence (2023)". Projected Figures. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  18. ↑ Dossey, Evan (January 6, 2023). "Detective Knight: Independence Review". Midwest Film Journal. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  19. ↑ Szymanski, Michael (January 15, 2023). "Capping Off Bruce Willis's Action Career with Satisfying 'Independence' (Movie Review)". Mike Szy The Writer. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  20. ↑ Sandoval, Lapacazo (January 15, 2023). "Detective Knight: Independence Chapter Three of the Knight Trilogy - starring Bruce Willis". New York Amsterdam News . Retrieved January 28, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.