Knightriders (1981)
Starring: Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savin
Writer and Director: George A. Romero
Synopsis:
The members of a traveling Renaissance
Faire, who saddle up on motorcycles instead of horses, ride from town
to town to stage medieval jousting tournaments with combatants in
suits of armor and wielding lances, battle-axes, maces and
broad-swords. The spectacle of this violent pageant soon garners
national attention, much to the dismay of the current king of this
Camelot. A challenger to his throne arises as they try to maintain
their fairytale existence in a world wrought with corruption.
Review:
Knightriders is definitely not a
favorite George Romero film of mine. It's one that I rarely even think of. It's a solid film, but ultimately just not my cup of tea. Aside from the fact that I feel like it runs a bit too
long than it needs to, there's really no qualms I have with it. The
script is good, the idea is unique, the music is fabulous, and the
characters are lavishly brought to life with fantastic performances
from an ensemble cast. So, even though it's not a film that I would
classify as a favorite, it is a film that I feel deserves a bigger
audience.
The stunt work in Knightriders is
awesome, and authentically brutal looking. There were more than a few
accidents on the set. Motorcycles have ejection seats to launch the
rider clear off in the heat of jousting battles. Some of these
instances look insane enough to make you wonder how the rider survived. You see people landing head first to the ground with their
bodies flopping over afterward. I can't believe necks weren't broken.
If you love vehicle chase scenes as much as I do, you'll love some of
the road moments in Knightriders. They're fantastic, with
wheelies-a-poppin, people flying through the air, landing in lakes
and on pavement ass first... hard as hell. It all looks like the real
deal.
Another fantastic aspect of the
movie is how it builds to a downward spiral for the enter Renaissance
troupe. You can tell right from the get-go that not all is right in this Camelot,
but it's all still gravy for a some of them. When the tournaments start
to garner recognition, King Billy doesn't like it one bit. He's
not in this for popularity or financial gain; it's for the love. This
character and his trials are basically a metaphor for Romero himself,
and his constant battles against the rotten system known as
Hollywood. This is particularly what makes Knightriders fairly genius in
its own right.
The entire cast gives their all. Much
like any movie from George Romero, Knightriders is brimming with
excellent characters. Secondary roles are every bit as important as
leads, and most of them all have their own little arc within the
story. The amount of familiar faces from past and future Romero films
is uncountable. Actors from The Crazies, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the
Dead, and so many more are on board. Some of them have healthy
roles, while others are in 'blink and you'll miss em' instances. Ed
Harris as King Billy and Tom Savini as Morgan are really the two show
stealers, though. This is Harris in a very early part of his career,
and he just kills it, especially in scenes of dispute, with others trying to get him to commit to larger things for their little
group. Billy goes off the hinges a few times, and it's a grand
spectacle from Harris. And Savini never got better than this,
performance-wise. The turmoil between the two characters of Billy and
Morgan is great, and if the last act of Knightriders doesn't get you
a bit choked up, I'm not sure what will.
P.S.- Patricia Tallman is looking HOT!
Donald Rubenstein's music is majestic
as hell. There’s no other way to put it. It's so perfect for the
theme of the movie. The battles are made more exciting, and the drama
of the film is given the true somber atmosphere it needs. I'd never
be one to go out and join a Renaissance troupe, putting myself in the
face of injury or death by flying off of a horse, or motorcycle...
but dammit, this score almost makes me contemplate it.
Final Word:
So yes, as I mentioned earlier,
Knightriders isn't a favorite of mine, but I definitely like it and
can attest that it's a quality made picture. It's the heart and
meaning that makes it special. I know of a few people who
totally love the movie, and I can understand why. Ultimately, it
would be nice to just see it get mentioned more.
Blu-ray:
Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of George A. Romero's Knightriders is presented in 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) with a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Mono Track. The look of the film is gorgeous, and the sound is lush. This release will indeed be a must have for fans of Knightriders, and/or a George Romero completest.
Special Features
Conscience of the King With Ed Harris - Ed Harris reflects on how he became involved with Knightriders and the pleasure of working on the film with George Romero.
Code of Honor With George Romero - George dives into many details about the production of Knightriders, Morgan Freeman's strange audition, and more.
Memories of Morgan With Tom Savini - Savini goes into his excitement of being able to take on such a big role in a film, how everyone involved worked as a family unit, and more.
Behind-the-Scenes - The Stunts of Knightriders
Trailer and TV Spots
Audio Commentary - featuring George Romero, Tom Savini, John Amplas, Christine Romero, and film historian Chris Stavrakis. This is from an older source, but a super fun listen. It's great listening to the groups talk about so many behind the scenes aspect of the film, and you can tell they have a lot of love and respect for each other. Good stuff.
Shout! Factory's release of Knightriders releases on November 26, 2013. You can order from Amazon HERE or directly from Shout! HERE
- Eric (Brobocop)
