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Knight Moves (1992)
Visiting Chess Grand Master Peter Sanderson (Christopher Lambert) becomes the prime suspect in a series of murders, which may have a link to his past. As the police investigate, the killer contacts Sanderson and makes him a play a game of his own, leaving clues and riddles that only Sanderson can decipher. Adding to the tension is the developing relationship between Sanderson and Kathy Sheppard, a psychiatrist assigned to the case to determine whether or not Sanderson is the perpetrator of the crimes.
Against the canon of serial killer films made throughout the '90's, Knight Moves, to some, may seem like a forgettable entry in the sub-genre, recycling and lifting plot elements, characterisation and style used in other thrillers. Usually, I dislike films like that (Kiss The Girls), but for a few strange reasons, I completely dig Knight Moves.
A lot of it has to do with Christopher Lambert. He's a bit of a dud actor, with very limited acting abilities, but his awkward charm and amiable presence never fails to engage me, no matter what role he takes on. Even in forgettable crap like Mortal Kombat and Southland Tales, Lambert's presence lights up the screen with a peculiar charm that puts the rest of the crap movie to shame. And even though he's completely miscast here, his likeable demeanour definitely makes me like this film more than I really should.
The supporting cast isn't up to the job, excluding Tom Skerrit's dogged police captain, a role taken on by so many so well, with Skerrit following suit. Whenever Daniel Baldwin shows up as the obnoxious detective on the case, you just want to punch him in the face, which might have been deliberate, but annoying all the same. And whenever Baldwin and Lambert share the screen, it's basically a case of who can overact the most, with poor Tom Skerrit as the acting referee, constantly telling them to "knock it off". But despite them, I couldn't help enjoy what was on display.
Another major draw is the script. There's a lot of cliched and underdeveloped dialogue, but where it truly succeeds is it's constant changing of the viewer's predictions for the ending. When you think you've figured it out, you probably have, but there were some great moments where I began to doubt whether I was correct in guessing the killer or not. Plus, director Carl Schnekel really knows how to mount tension, even with a routine film like this, specifically in it's overdone and done-a-million-times-before finale, conducted in a - surprise- thunderstorm.
I'm still conflicting with myself over whether it's a bad movie that I over-enjoyed or just more of the same in it's own sub-genre. Even reading my review now, I'm still not completely sure how I feel about it, but I do know one thing: I dug it while I was watching it. And I suppose that's what matters when it comes to a movie.
Visiting Chess Grand Master Peter Sanderson (Christopher Lambert) becomes the prime suspect in a series of murders, which may have a link to his past. As the police investigate, the killer contacts Sanderson and makes him a play a game of his own, leaving clues and riddles that only Sanderson can decipher. Adding to the tension is the developing relationship between Sanderson and Kathy Sheppard, a psychiatrist assigned to the case to determine whether or not Sanderson is the perpetrator of the crimes.
Against the canon of serial killer films made throughout the '90's, Knight Moves, to some, may seem like a forgettable entry in the sub-genre, recycling and lifting plot elements, characterisation and style used in other thrillers. Usually, I dislike films like that (Kiss The Girls), but for a few strange reasons, I completely dig Knight Moves.
A lot of it has to do with Christopher Lambert. He's a bit of a dud actor, with very limited acting abilities, but his awkward charm and amiable presence never fails to engage me, no matter what role he takes on. Even in forgettable crap like Mortal Kombat and Southland Tales, Lambert's presence lights up the screen with a peculiar charm that puts the rest of the crap movie to shame. And even though he's completely miscast here, his likeable demeanour definitely makes me like this film more than I really should.
The supporting cast isn't up to the job, excluding Tom Skerrit's dogged police captain, a role taken on by so many so well, with Skerrit following suit. Whenever Daniel Baldwin shows up as the obnoxious detective on the case, you just want to punch him in the face, which might have been deliberate, but annoying all the same. And whenever Baldwin and Lambert share the screen, it's basically a case of who can overact the most, with poor Tom Skerrit as the acting referee, constantly telling them to "knock it off". But despite them, I couldn't help enjoy what was on display.
Another major draw is the script. There's a lot of cliched and underdeveloped dialogue, but where it truly succeeds is it's constant changing of the viewer's predictions for the ending. When you think you've figured it out, you probably have, but there were some great moments where I began to doubt whether I was correct in guessing the killer or not. Plus, director Carl Schnekel really knows how to mount tension, even with a routine film like this, specifically in it's overdone and done-a-million-times-before finale, conducted in a - surprise- thunderstorm.
I'm still conflicting with myself over whether it's a bad movie that I over-enjoyed or just more of the same in it's own sub-genre. Even reading my review now, I'm still not completely sure how I feel about it, but I do know one thing: I dug it while I was watching it. And I suppose that's what matters when it comes to a movie.