Detective Knight: Independence

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 trilogy, 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.

Detective Knight: Independence
Official release poster
Directed byEdward 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 byLionsgate
Release date
  • January 20, 2023 (2023-01-20)
Running time
91 minutes[1][2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$36,171[3]

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 February 1, 2023, Detective Knight: Independence grossed $36,171 in the United Arab Emirates.[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]

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. "'Detective Knight: Independence' (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  4. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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