Cheap Knightriders (DVD) (Ed Harris, Gary Lahti) (George A. Romero) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Knightriders

Written and Directed by:George A. Romero (Creepshow, Monkey Shines, The Dark Half) shows a unique style and flair to this Ambitious Unusual Film. It was a flop in Theaters but the Movie gained a Cult Following on Video. Ed Harris (The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, Pollack) gives a Strong Performance in his first lead role. DVD`s has an fine anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and An clear Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Sound. DVD`s Extras are:An running commentary track by Director:George A. Romero, Make-Up Artist and Actor:Tom Savini, Film Historian:Chris Stavrakis, Brief Commentary by Christine Romero (Monkey Shines) and Even Briefer one by Actor:John Amplas (George A. Romero`s Martin) and more Extras. While this film is not for all tastes but is Still a Stunning Film. Great Score by Donald Rubinstein. Watch for Stephen King and His Wife:Tabitha King in Cameos. Grade:A-.

Camelot is a State of Mind
A film that incorporates Arthurian legend within a modern day Renaissance Faire that has knights doing battle on motorcycles? Directed by famed horror director George A. Romero? It may seem like a silly concept, but you know what? It worked, for this viewer, at least.

Knightriders (1981) stars Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, and Amy Ingersoll. Harris is Billy, the king and inspiration behind the Faire, believing and living the noble ideals of a time long since past. Problem is, these ideals often conflict with the present, and especially when it comes to paying the bills.

This epic tale (it runs almost 2 ½ hours) details the relationships within this seemingly tight knit group, the conflicts that develop as commercialism tries to creep in by means of a sleazy promoter wanting to take the 'act', as he calls it, to bigger, more theatrical venues, which threatens to spoil the noble ideals Harris tries to put forth and live on a daily basis. Things start to fall apart as the conflict between the members grows worse, and outside pressures force decisions to be made.

In a really gutsy move that I don't think paid off in terms of financial success at the time of the films' release, Romero breaks out of his the genre he's become known and respected for, delivering a lavish tale, one that I found interesting, although a tad drawn out, at times. The character Harris plays seems like a kook, but you may begin to understand his beliefs, what he's trying to put forth, creating a community of not just entertainers, but a family of different peoples who believe in themselves and what they do. The action is quite thrilling as the knights ride around on motorcycles instead of horses, doing battle using jousting poles, broadswords, battle-axes, and maces. There is plenty of action, and the stunt work is quite excellent, adding a realistic flavor throughout.

Some of the drawn out plot threads seemed a bit odd to me, like the one involving a rather minor male character and questions that arose with regards to his sexual preferences. I didn't have a problem with the material, but just how the subject came out of nowhere and continued to linger on for quite awhile. It just seemed too much attention was focused on this minor plot point, and thereby causes it to stick out against the rest of the film. I think this tact was followed in a move to try an develop at least a passing interest in as many of the characters as possible, allowing for the viewer to take a real interest within the group, and thus feel the difficulties as the characters did at the fragmenting of the group, but it was just taken a bit too far at a couple of points, in my opinion. Harris is great as the ideal driven leader, fighting a seemingly losing battle of trying to hold the group together and keep the spirit alive. Tom Savini is also wonderful. Usually known more for his work on special effects, he shows he can really act playing the character of Morgan, the Black Knight, whose main reason for participating is for the thrills and excitement. Appearing as only a two dimensional character in the beginning, Savini really infuses much into Morgan throughout the film, providing a great deal of depth.

Presented here is a really good looking wide screen print and special features include a commentary track by director Romero, stars Tom Savini, John Amplas, Christine Romero, and film historian Chris Stavrakis. Also included are behind he scenes home movies, a theatrical trailer, and television spots. Some notable appearances to look for are Stephen King and his wife Tabitha as spectators (actually, they're credited as Hoagie Man and Hoagie Man's Wife as King is seen chowing down while spouting off how fake the fighting is), and a young Patricia Tallman as Julie, a love interest to Gary Lahti's character. While not a starring role here, she later did star in Romero's 1990 remake of his classic Night of the Living Dead, as Barbara. Knightriders is a fun, drawn out tale with lots of action and a lot of heart. The ending seemed a bit hokey, but really, looking back on it, I wouldn't have expected different. Fate and destiny, at least in the movie world, just cannot be denied.

Cookieman108

Romero's Take on the King Arthur Legend
After huge success with "Dawn of the Dead," independent filmmaker George A. Romero signed a 3-picture deal with United Film Distribtuion Company, the studio that put "Dawn" in theatres. Instead of playing safe with another horror film, Romero jumped genres to the adventure/drama "Knightriders" concerning a traveling fair that live by the code of King Arthur, Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table. Basically think "Easy Rider" meets "Excalibur."

Life is great for this large family until the outside world steps in with promises of fame and fortune. King Billy (a fantastic Ed Harris!) wants to live a simple life free from money and greed. However, others led by the black knight Morgan (special effects artist Tom Savini in an equally good performance) simply want to survive. Soon, this family unit splits in half with those devoted to Billy and others to Morgan.

Writer/director Romero has said in the past that "Knightriders" is his favorite of his films. It shows when watching the film. This is Romero's epic filled with great scenery, scope and performances. The film's premise is a bit odd, but it's best strength is it's ability to come off as believeable. Also worth noting are the well-filmed scenes involving the knights jousting.

However, one can't help but complain towards the film's length. At 145 minutes, it's just too long. Sure it's an epic, but you can only have so much in one film. A good 20-25 minutes could have been dropped and would have made "Knightriders" a better film. Despite the argument for the length (and a few too many B-plots), "Knightriders" remains one of Romero's best films.

The DVD is a nice presentation with an anamorphic widescreen transfer showcasing the lush cinematography of D.P. Michael Gornick. It's hard to believe a film mostly seen on home-video and over 20 years old(!) looks this good. On the bonus matertials section, there's a great commentary track featuring writer/director Romero, actors Savini, Christine Romero (Romero's wife), John Amplas (of Romero's vampire film "Martin") and film historian Chris Stavrakis. Add 15 minutes of silent "home-movies," (minus any commentary track sadly), the theatrical trailer and two tv spots and you have a nice package for an under-appreciated film.