by Christian Grullon, Contributing Writer
If you are interested in seeing Bruce Willis in action, you’ll have to tune in to his latest flick, Detective Knight: Redemption,directed by Edward Drake. This is one of Willis’ final films, as he has retired from acting due to his aphasia, which affects his language and ability to express it. The film is a sequel/follow-up to Detective Knight: Rogue, which was released earlier in 2022.
The film’s setting is Christmas time, in which robbers dressed as Santas attempt to rob a bank. It sets the mood for viewers, as it begins with action when a group called The Real Saints of Christmas throw a Molotov Cocktail toward a Christmas tree. They then rob a bank and engage in an all-out shootout war with the cops.
Unfortunately, the robbers set off a bomb, which incapacitates the cops. NYPD Captain Anna Shea (Miranda Edwards) has been keeping track of this gang and its main antagonist Rick Conlan (Paul Johansson).
Ex-cop, ex-husband and ex-military James Knight (Willis), Casey Rhodes (Beau Mirchoff), and Mercer (Corey Large) are all behind bars after the events of Rogue.They end up meeting Conlan, and he promises them freedom if they follow him. However, a criminal called the Christmas Bomber is bombing banks; after a prison break, Captain Shea and Knight agree to work together to take the bomber down, and Casey and Mercer end up joining the Christmas bomber’s crew.
Willis has little dialogue, but has tremendous support from the supporting cast to carry the film along. Conlan easily influences convicts on his side as if he’s fighting for the greater good. However, he’s in it for money. A couple pluses for this film are the incredible chemistry between the cast, and the storyline. This film gives viewers a redemption story for Casey, who seeks to be with his family; however, he escapes jail with Conlan. The pacing in this film is better than its predecessor: more fights and shoot-outs. However, it still misses out on its action.
Willis doesn’t have many scenes, and at one point we don’t see him again until the final act. There is an issue with sound effects, which is irritating, and although the film has a promising opening with the action, it fails to follow it up with more intensity as it went on.
Conlan does grab your attention with his outstanding deliveries about serious issues like social injustice and poverty. Despite the better pacing, the film needs to take advantage of an opportunity to show a lot of thrill with the action.
Score: 5/10
Detective Knight: Redemption is currently available on VOD
You can follow Christian Grullon on Twitter