Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		1.5

Detective Knight: Redemption Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 25, 2023

Forget The Dark Knight Trilogy, this film is the second in a trio of offerings that some curmudgeons (ahem) may want to dub The Lightweight Knight Trilogy, and in that regard, it's perhaps salient to note that Lionsgate never provided Detective Knight: Rogue, the first film in the triptych, for review purposes, as if to stave off horrible puns and/or reviews. It's almost amazing how many projects Bruce Willis was able to complete before his unfortunate diagnosis and forced retirement, but somehow, some way he was able to muster enough competence to get through this ostensible series (the third film, Detective Knight: Independence, looks like it's due on Blu-ray in about a month, as of the writing of this review, and it will be interesting to see, or perhaps not, if Lionsgate provides that one for review). That said, as with many recent titles featuring Willis that have passed through my review queue, his appearance here, while having been granted "above the title" status in terms of billing, is a more or less glorified cameo, despite the fact that his character of (supposedly) disgraced detective James Knight is the hero of the tale.

There are of course fairly iconic "debates" as to whether Die Hard is "a Christmas movie", and it's kind of patently obvious that co-writer and director Edward John Drake wants to riff on that thesis, since this film involves a murderous villain named Ricky Conlan (Paul Johansson) who, along with a cohort of acolytes, dresses up like Santa Claus and wreaks havoc during one of the holiest times of the year. Evidently the first film saw Knight receiving prison time for some perceived misdeeds, and this film follows his efforts to clear his name courtesy of dealing with Ricky and his henchmen. A supposed late third act "twist" provides a moment of putative surprise, but even that element is telegraphed for so long before it arrives that it probably won't shock anyone. I mentioned in some other review of some DTV production Willis "starred" in that I hoped there was something worthwhile the legendary actor was able to complete before his retirement, but Detective Knight: Redemption is definitely not it.

Detective Knight: Redemption Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Detective Knight: Redemption is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Unsurprisingly, there's not any technical information online about this shoot (including at the IMDb), and the closing credits roll don't disclose a camera, but this is a generally competent digital capture that I'm assuming had a 2K DI. The film actually has a bit of visual flair, as can perhaps be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, with a surplus of either graded or lit sequences that often offer some nicely saturated hues in tones ranging from warm reds, oranges and yellows to a lot of ice cold blues, teals and greens. This is another digital capture that has something I guess is supposed to be digital grain added, but which in my estimation only ends up giving the image a slightly dirty look at times. Detail levels are generally excellent, at least in better lit moments and especially in close-ups.

Detective Knight: Redemption Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Detective Knight: Redemption features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that springs to life during some of the more cacophonous moments in the story, as in the opening conflagration and mayhem started by all of those nasty folks in Santa Claus outfits. A lot of the film, however, is given over to relatively tedious dialogue sequences, where surround activity tends to be limited to background clamor or other ambient environmental sounds. Dialogue (such as it is) is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Detective Knight: Redemption Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Detective Knight: A Christmas Surprise (HD; 4:03) is a brief EPK overview with Edward John Drake.


• Drawing Inspiration: Redemption (HD; 16:58) is a bit more in depth, and offers Drake analyzing certain scenes, including by drawing lines on various still frames to illustrate various points.

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Detective Knight: Redemption Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is Detective Knight: Redemption a "Christmas movie"? Who cares? This is a pretty sad use of Willis' talents, but there is occasional flourish to the visuals. Technical merits are generally solid for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.