Knightfall

A father-and-daughter duo team up in a bid to stop a bioweapon getting into the wrong hands. Following a strained relationship, an MI5 operation, and a race against time.

We follow Ros (Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott), a bioweapons analyst on a mission with her lover and head of the operation, Hugh (Geoffrey Moore, son of Roger Moore). His character oozes charisma, much like his father, and is perfect to compliment our main lead. This film becomes a chess game, as indicated throughout, finding Ros battling with whom she can truly trust. We also encounter Matthew (Michael Paré), another iconic actor who fills up the space in his one and only memorable sequence.

This feels like a nostalgic throwback to British spy films on a lower budget. With a Bond-esque atmosphere but with a female lead. One of the most prominent performances is from Charles Knight (Ian Ogilvy), who plays Ros’s father. He embodies the cool, quick-witted former spy catcher and distant father figure. The off-screen relationship indicates a strained father-and-daughter dynamic when they finally meet back up. This was one of the stronger aspects of the film; whilst they catch up on years lost, it coincides with them fighting alongside one another. Ian Oglivy brings a comedic relief that breaks up the impending doom of such a weapon. It makes sense that Oglivy was once considered for the role of Bond after Roger Moore.

Whilst an independent film, they make the most of the budget with varying sets, stunts, and fight choreography. Most notably, a scene involving a squabble with one of the bad guys on a bike establishes early on the imminent danger of the weapon. You can tell there is a passion for filmmaking from Shogun Films, even on a limited budget. The stacked, star-studded cast helps to maintain interest throughout with quippy lines and complicated relationships. However, the storyline falls a little flat with lacklustre pacing and confusing character twists, causing a weaker payoff towards the end. Knightfall relies heavily on performances, and at times, the dialogue and lack of emotion can seem jarring. This, paired with audio issues, can take you out of the immersion of the action and threat and ultimately drop the tension it tries to build.

Overall, Knightfall provides a condensed, fun-filled action. Following a convincing father-daughter duo, it provides heartfelt moments amongst the metaphorical chess game. Figuring out who is a pawn and how to check the king. Within the genre, it’s hard to compete with the likes of Bond and Mission Impossible but can certainly be enjoyable, especially for lovers of independent action films. It provides a snug and digestible run time; it doesn’t try to be more magnificent in scale, but the narrative does fall short. It misses the mark with any pivotal moments in the film and, to the detriment of building any depth within the characters. Whilst it underperforms in areas, it’s still an entertaining watch, especially seeing legendary actors take up the screen once again.

Knightfall on UK digital from 14 September, on Blu-ray 26 October.