Knightriders

This, quite possibly, may be my favorite of Romero's films. I adore Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, but this one is quite special and is a complete surprise, even to Romero's hardcore fans. I remember renting it a while back because it was by Romero (and it is pretty long, 145 minutes, and I love long films). Many reviews simply stated that it was "a change of pace" for Romero, and yes, this is true, but they missed the depth and substance that this film has. It is Romero's most moving film, completely heartfelt and sincere, one that, should I say this, stirs the soul. Romero elicits incredibly naturalistic performances from his cast. It's made up of Romero regulars, including Ken Foree from Dawn of the Dead, and Tom Savini, makeup artist extraordinare and a surprisingly good actor here. It also stars a then unknown Ed Harris, who Romero discovered. Ed shows his intensity and power early on. You really feel like you're watching real people and their traveling show. Nothing feels phony, smug, or "ironic" here. The final 20 minutes is the most stirring thing that Romero has ever done (with the best scene in a school where Ed Harris gives his sword and helmet to a young school boy he met earlier in the film. The kid's performance is wonderful in a film filled with them). So, this film is much more than just a change of pace for George A. Romero. It's a deeply moving, sad film, one that should be appreciated not only for its change of pace (which Romero succeeds wildly), but for its deep, humanistic message. A wonderful piece of film-making....

The same person who turned me on to "Black Christmas" loaned me this little gem of a movie. It's highly original, well acted and written, and has some surprisingly good stuntwork. The story is great and there are some poignant scenes toward the end that just make you cheer. The ending is downbeat and uplifting at the same time. If you're looking for something enjoyably different in a movie, check this out.

The Arthurian legend comes to life. What we all hoped for in a utopian society devoid of comericialisation is here, shining through the darkest horizon of today's popular youth culture. The sheer romance and spirit of this film is remarkable, much like Romero's other works but in other ways completely different, the film brings hope to the disenchanted rather than adopting the usual cynical "we can't change anything so lets conform" attitude of today's society. King William (Ed Harris) is the founder and leader of a group of travelling knights, swapping the horses for motorcycles and allowing the public to get a glimpse on their way of life through jousting tournaments. Marred by the public's dependence on sex and violence the group find themselves crushed by commercial pressure. The audiences want to see blood, and the tragedy of it all lies in their ignorance to Billy's intense dream. it all starts to fall apart when they receive interest from big promoters and their potential as a sellable source of entertainment is recognised.

Romero truly shines through here and the only criticism I can possibly think of this near perfect film lies in the era it was filmed and set it. Had this film been made in the 70's it would have looked a lot better, or even in the 90's, however the 80's was awful for films in general and it comes as no surprise that this film was practically shelved. On the plus side it also proves that the 80's didn't just produce Friday the 13th movies, and that someone had an idea good enough to really make a film like this work.

Tom Savini, Gary Lahti, Amy Ingersoll, Chris Romero and in particular Brother Blue all give startling performances. The love and care that went into this film is outstanding.

However, I must stress ten-fold that if you want to see blood and guts, and don't really care for the dozens of underlying plot lines that revolve in this film to just watch something else. You have to be prepared to try to understand what Romero is trying to show us, and what the film meant in the relevant decade (and still mean today).

This is a truly amazing film that will make you laugh, cry and cheer. Its not only worth watching but is a keeper for sure.

Sometimes it's too long.

Sometimes it's just right.

But even when i watch it and say -Yup, too long!- i can never decide what to cut.

I love to put this on for people who have never seen it and have no idea of what they're in for -- the careful arrangements, compositions and camerawork of the opening sequence, as the King and his Queen tarry a while in the (probably enchanted) woods, in the lovely golden sunlight, then dress themselves, he girds on his armor, he mounts his mighty steed (shot composed so that we see only his torso, the steed being out of shot at the bottom), she mounts side-saddle on the pillion...

And BARRROOOOMMMM!!!! that huge bike roars into life and the camera pulls back as we see them ride away...

It's almost as much of a jolt as the narrow-to-wide cut at the beginning of "Road Warrior"... and just as important to see (if possible) on a big screen the first time.

Kings and queens, knights and heroes; a wizard... even a faithful Indian companion; it's all here.

Action, adventure, humor, treachery and heroism -- all here.

Love and hate, jealousy and heart break? Present and accounted for.

Bad guys get theirs, hero vindicated in the end? What do you think?

And incredible, incredible action work. This film equals or even surpasses "The Road Warrior" in its motorcycle work. I'm still not sure if the final stunt is faked or whether they actually did it -- either way, my hat's off to the people who put it on the screen.

Ed Harris, as King Billy, whose vision forms the kingdom, whose unhealing wound signifies danger ahead, and whose malaise may well doom the kingdom, is brilliant.

Brother Blue as Merlin is indescribable -- but in a good context.

Patricia Tallman, who has gone on to a dual career as actress and stuntwoman (recurring on "Babylon 5" as telepath "Lita" and doing stunts in the film "Long Kiss Goodnight") has what i believe is her first screen appearance, playing a townie girl who is temporarily admitted into the kingdom's magic, but must eventually go home if only to tell the world what she's seen, is good...

Tom Savini as Morgan, the villain (hiss, boo) is Jes' Fine...

I have always described this film as the one film i know of that gets the closest to the truths that underlie the King Arthur legends...

From what I gather, "Knightriders" didn't do very well at the box office when it was released. Upon watching it, it's easy to come up with plausible explanations for this. While the poster seemed to promise wall-to-wall action, there isn't that much of it, and what action there is often becomes monotonous. The movie tries to do so much that many of the plot threads feel unfinished at the end. And of course, the unbelievably long running time - 145 MINUTES!!!

Yet at the same time, I can't really call this a BAD movie - I would lean more to calling it "misguided". That's because as problem-filled the movie is, there are some good things about it. The actors give their characters a lot of heart - Brother Blue is especially good. (And I thought Savini actually wasn't bad in his role as well.) While the action scenes become monotonous, there are some impressive stunt sequences. The medieval-style music score fits like a glove. And there are some moments that are just *perfect*, the best being the opening sequence.

If you do watch it, I recommend that you split up your viewing into several sessions, so that you don't become too bored by how the movie keeps, well, spinning its wheels. There's a great movie hiding in there - perhaps with a lot of work (and a little magic), it might one day be successfully remade.