directed by:
Adam Werth written by: Victor V Gelsomino, Adam Werth genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror |
Good lord, will someone just let Sigurd finish his story about the Bone Devil? #ThesePeopleBeRudeYall
So, you probably already know what kind of movie we're talkin' about here - I feel like that's pretty obvious when you've got a Sigurd in the mix, or at least a Bone Devil or two. It might be one of those things whereby you'd have to have spent about a decade-plus in the trenches at a video store counter, but I read the synopsis to "Devil's Knight," saw its list of cast stars, and knew before I'd even pushed play that we'd be in-store for something no longer than ninety minutes. I'm not even sure I can really explain that uncanny sixth sense I've developed over the years, but man, is it incredibly accurate - I'm like freakin' Robin Hood splitting the arrow over here, honestly. With that said... "Can you put a price on safety?" The king's man makes a good point as this film gets underway. It might cost a farthing or two to get a bunch of mercenaries and warriors to defend the kingdom, but it's probably fairly pragmatic, considering they'd have to battle with a bunch of ghouls and the ol' Bone Devil. Ultimately the story is told by Sigurd, and it traces back to when he still had two functional eyeballs, which isn't the case when we meet him by the fire in the present day. Well, the present old day…you get it? And oh boy, some of the haircuts you'll see are practically war crimes, but the barbershop renaissance has yet to occur, right? Even so, you'll find some solid characters/actors you can rely on to get things going towards the beginning, like Sigurd (John Wells) and Princess Sabine (Sarah Nicklin), but things do get a 'tad' dicier from there. Directed by Adam Werth, who co-wrote the film with Vincent V. Gelsomino – "Devil's Knight" is also produced by the Mahal Empire, aka the Mahal brothers, and it certainly plays like the stuff I've seen from them in the past. You'll find they thrive in the Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy-Horror sub-genres, and the niche Western-Horror genre as well - if my memory serves me correctly. These movies are quite often the main alternatives to the massive-budget Hollywood bangers and repeats, where there's a serious plotline buried underneath a bunch of jokes that often feel a bit on the forced side - or violence that pulls the punches a bit more than you had hoped. Yet, the "Devil's Knight" actually has a small budget, and you can tell. There are castles, costumes… Eric Roberts & such. You'll find the success of this film rests more firmly on the shoulders of Wells, or the battered & bruised Robert Stanley, who does a superb job of playing the role of Mathias Brennus. Again, having been a video store clerk who has seen thousands of these types of movies slide their way to an audience - who are in search of something to kill ninety minutes of their time, I'm fairly familiar with the formula/the pitfalls that producers like the Mahal Empire tend to employ. You get a decent script & a couple of actors with recognizable names, and voila – a movie is made. While it's logical to assume that some of the names they get to work on a film like this would draw a few folks in, the Mahals probably also realize that it's actually the strengths of the talent employed outside of those more recognizable names - that usually carry the movie. And that's precisely what you'll find in "Devil's Knight." I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of the bait and switch in movies - but that's how many of these tightly budgeted films often go. You'll see a couple of familiar names like Roberts in the mix, but there is never much of a guarantee that you're going to get a lot of them when you're watching, and that standard continues to hold true in the case of "Devil's Knight." That's not to say that everyone surrounding them is going to pass the muster test, either. I was constantly on the fence about Kevin Hager (King Samuel) or Frederick George Stuhrberg as Lord Hinch, but for the most part, the combination of Nicklin, Wells, Stanley, and Angie Everheart (as Duchess de Baudicourt) managed to keep the majority of this film on track, in addition to countless smaller roles that made considerable contributions to the supporting cast. They say it takes a village - and they are right.
While it can always be tough to discern a Fantasy-based movie from a good LARPing session, there are several things that go very well for "Devil's Knight." Werth is a very competent director who knows the right shots to shoot. It's with films like "Devil's Knight" that he reveals the potential & promise he'd have in productions on a considerably larger scale. He's an asset to this particular movie and, despite some obvious constraints, does a great job with what he has. The use of blood is actually quite spectacular, and there's lots of it to be found as this battle of good versus evil rages forward. And, man, the kills are exceptionally well done, which is surprising when you consider that the fight scenes were usually a tad less believable. As for Mr. Bone Devil – don't get me wrong, it's fairly clear it's a costume & all, but honestly, it looks fantastic, and I can get behind that. In many circumstances, adding a bit of leeway to your suspension of disbelief will benefit ya as you watch "Devil's Knight." In any event, the Bone Devil has a killer look to him… it's a really well-conceived and designed villain. So…look…I personally think that fantasy movies are among the hardest out there to make because it really takes a lot to ensure that we are following along - and not laughing the film away. And aside from that, you also need to consider that Fantasy is still among the more niche genres overall. It ain't like it doesn't have an army of fans out there all around the globe – of course, it does – but it's still admittedly less of a slice of the pie than something like a Drama or a Comedy would be. To Gelsomino & Werth's credit, the script itself is actually quite tightly written, which has lent itself nicely to the film overall. The duo of talents who wrote "Devil's Knight" set out to specifically write within the Fantasy realm, and they more than succeeded. Oh, and the horned Cyclops beast... thing is pretty damn cool, and it's fun to see this creature go on a full-on rampage toward the end. Is it horrifying? Conceptually more so than in reality, I suppose. I think it would be tough to argue that a film like "Devil's Knight" is terrifying more so than simply neat to watch as the blood and guts spill all over the place, but that's okay – I think it's intended to be more of a Fantasy-based movie at the core of it all. Is it too much? Not enough? I think it's both of these things to a degree, but I still think that dedicated fans of Fantasy and Fantasy/Horror will have no problem sticking around until the final battle. Wells is a constant badass and remains the strongest reason to watch "Devil's Knight." I also liked how the Bone Devil resurfaces a couple of times, and given that it's unclear as to whether or not it can ever be killed, heck, I might even watch another movie with that creature as the villain. In the end, as long as you're not taking "Devil's Knight" too seriously beyond the fun that it's intended to provide, I'd imagine that most tuning in will dig what they find. I'm personally going to go with three and a half stars out of five here – it's a tried, tested, and true film formula that came together with decent results. It's cohesive, tells a full story, and has killer creatures for your bloody enjoyment. So long as you know what you're getting into, you should have a good time. |
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