by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Is it time to finally say goodbye to Bruce Willis? One of the greatest action stars of all time, Willis was a talented star with endless charisma, and unfortunately his health took away a lot of that during his later years in his career. But not before Edward Drake (the director of most of Willis’ later career) launched one last trilogy of action flicks to round out his career. The finale, Detective Knight: Independence, has finally arrived.
What does this cop drama have to say? This is a sad case of plenty of fruitful ideas and just not knowing how to handle them. If you listed out the ideas and themes of the film, like the public opinion around police, heightening crime, and rival dynamics with other public servants, this could have been a film ripped right out of the ‘70s. The issue? This is no Don Siegel film… or Scorsese… or DePalma. This swings its big ideas around like a sledgehammer with no sense of finesse or care. The dialogue that spouts its ideas is flat and awkward to say the least. When that is the case, you cannot find a way to buy into it.
What about the rest of the writing? The dialogue, in general, is tough to listen to. Most of it is so awkward and blunt that you will roll your eyes when you hear it. Even in the tensest of moments, it takes you right out of the film. That is a shame, too, when you have legitimately good ideas to put out there. The narrative is not the most surprising, and it plays out as expected, but it is enough to offer up some thrills. If the dialogue (and acting) didn’t mess with it, there are some interesting beats in terms of Detective Knight (Willis) and his daughter, who becomes a hostage. There is an attempt at heart, but its execution could have been better.
What does work? There is some solid action. Drake offers up some inspired camera work (including a first-person shooter style opening) that shakes things up. The action can be thrilling, even if it is a bit dumbed down — there is a lack of tension when Knight can lazily fire off any shot and get the target without much effort. But when you go onto VOD looking for an action film starring Willis in 2023, solid action is probably a surprise anyway. At least the film offers that up.
Let’s take a look at the elephant in the room… what about Willis? This was honestly hard to watch. You can tell he was struggling to deliver his lines in a genuine and organic way. It was all stilted and awkward, which is so sad to see. Willis has just oozed charisma throughout his career, and it’s a shame to see that disappear, and for him give a performance that feels so hollow. Lines that normally would roll off Willis’ tongue with confidence and a bite just feel labored. But it is not just Willis; others in the cast feel awkward with their performances, including the antagonist, who is another key piece to the film.
Does Detective Knight: Independence overcome its shortcomings to stick to this landing? As both the last film in a franchise, and one of the last performances of Willis’ career, this feels like it wraps up with a whimper. There is little that truly works during the 90-minute runtime, and only a few bits of strong action and thrills can salvage it. With the right director and writer, this could have felt like a quality ode to ‘70s films, but it just comes off as half-baked and flimsy.
Score: 4/10
Detective Knight: Independence is currently available on VOD
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