Detective Knight: Redemption

{{Short description|2022 American Christmas action film by Edward John Drake}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Detective Knight: Redemption

| image = Detective Knight Redemption poster.png

| caption = Official release poster

| director = Edward John Drake

| screenplay = Edward John Drake

| story = {{Plainlist|

Edward John Drake
Corey Large

}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Scott Currie

| cinematography = Laffrey Witbrod

| editing = Justin Williams

| studio = {{Plainlist|

Emmett/Furla Oasis
BondIt Media Capital
Buffalo 8 Productions

}}

| distributor = Lionsgate

| released = {{Film date|2022|12|9}}

| runtime = 93 minutes{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/detective-knight-redemption |title=Detective Knight: Redemption Reviews |work=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=December 10, 2022}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $192,939{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt22394694/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |title='Detective Knight: Redemption' (2022) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=January 16, 2023}}

}}

Detective Knight: Redemption (also known as simply Christmas Knight) is a 2022 American Christmas action film directed by Edward John Drake, from a screenplay by Drake and Corey Large, and produced by Large, Randall Emmett, and George Furla. Serving as the second installment of the Detective Knight film series, and as a sequel to Detective Knight: Rogue (2022), it stars Paul Johansson and Bruce Willis.

Detective Knight: Redemption was released by Lionsgate in limited theaters and VOD on December 9, 2022, followed by its release on DVD and Blu-ray on January 17, 2023.

Premise

After the events of Rogue, Detective James Knight is in prison for the murders of Winna and Brigga. During the Christmas season, Knight gets caught up in the middle of a jailbreak, led by a violent fanatic named Ricky Conlan, "The Christmas Bomber", and his crew, the "Real Saints of Christmas". He strikes a deal to take out the terrorists in exchange for his reinstatement. With the bomber's henchmen terrorizing the city, Knight must seek justice.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Bruce Willis as James Knight
Lochlyn Munro as Eric Fitzgerald
Miranda Edwards as Anna Shea
Beau Mirchoff as Rhodes
Corey Large as Mercer
Michael Eklund as Winna
Jimmy Jean-Louis as Godwin Sango
Hunter Daily as Lily
Alice Comer as Clara
Paul Johansson as Ricky Conlan
Cody Kearsley as Dajon
John Cassini as Mayor Vassetti

}}

Production

In October 2021, Bruce Willis signed on to star in an action film under the working title Christmas Knight, from writer-director Edward John Drake, for a back-to-back production with Devil's Knight in Vancouver, Canada, from November 17 to December 14, 2021.{{cite web |url=http://hollywoodnorthbuzz.com/2021/11/christmas-knight-devils-knight-with-bruce-willis-block-shooting-in-vancouver-from-mid-november-to-mid-december.html |title=Christmas Knight & Devil's Knight With Bruce Willis Block Shooting in Vancouver This Fall |website=Hollywood North Buzz |first=Susan |last=Gittins |date=November 9, 2021 |access-date=October 21, 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.joblo.com/detective-knight-rogue-did-bruce-willis-make-a-trilogy-no-one-knew-about-before-retiring/ |title=Detective Knight: Rogue – Did Bruce Willis make a trilogy no one knew about before retiring? |website=JoBlo.com |last=Tangonan |first=EJ |date=September 20, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Detective-Knight-Redemption-(2022)#tab=summary |title='Detective Knight: Redemption' (2022) |website=The Numbers |access-date=October 22, 2022}} Filming had wrapped by January 9, 2022, while Trevor Gretzky was confirmed to have reprised his role for both films.{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/adawson/2022/01/09/trevor-gretzky-takes-a-swing-at-acting-joins-heavy-hitter-bruce-willis-in-american-siege/?sh=50779d7e27ac |title=Trevor Gretzky Takes A Swing At Acting, Joins Heavy Hitter Bruce Willis In 'American Siege' |website=Forbes |first=Angela |last=Dawson |date=January 9, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022}} By September 2022, Christmas Knight was retitled to Detective Knight: Redemption, and set a December 9, 2022 release date.{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/bruce-willis-detective-knight-trilogy-release-date-trailer-cast-rogue-redemption-independence/ |title=Bruce Willis' 'Detective Knight' Trilogy: Release Date, Trailer, Cast, & Everything We Know So Far |website=Collider |last=P |first=Maddie |date=October 21, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/video/bruce-willis-could-appear-future-215430775.html |title=Bruce Willis Could Appear in Future Projects Thanks to Deepfake Twin |website=Yahoo! |first=Eddie |last=Fu |date=September 29, 2022 |access-date=October 21, 2022}} By November 2022, Lochlyn Munro, Corey Large, Miranda Edwards, and Beau Mirchoff, were set to reprise their roles from the first film, while John Cassini, Jerry Yu, and Paul Johansson were added to the cast.{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/detective-knight-redemption-trailer-bruce-willis/ |title='Detective Knight: Redemption' Trailer Gives Bruce Willis One Last Action-Packed Christmas [Exclusive] |website=Collider |last=Oddo |first=Marco Vito |date=November 4, 2022 |access-date=November 7, 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.darkhorizons.com/trailer-bruce-willis-in-detective-knight-redemption/ |title=Trailer: Bruce Willis In "Detective Knight: Redemption" |website=Dark Horizons |first=Garth |last=Franklin |date=November 6, 2022 |access-date=November 7, 2022}} Detective Knight: Independence is one of the last films to star Willis, who retired from acting because he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.{{Cite web |last=Rosenbloom |first=Alli |date=February 16, 2023 |title=Bruce Willis' family shares an update on his health and new diagnosis |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/entertainment/bruce-willis-dementia/index.html |access-date=February 18, 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-03-30/bruce-willis-aphasia-memory-loss-cognitive-disorder|url-access=limited|title=Concerns about Bruce Willis' declining cognitive state swirled around sets in recent years|date=March 30, 2022|first1=Meg|last1=James|first2=Amy|last2=Kaufman|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 21, 2022}}

Release

Detective Knight: Redemption was released by Lionsgate in limited theaters and VOD on December 9, 2022,{{cite web |url=https://www.firstshowing.net/2022/bruce-willis-in-detective-knight-redemption-sequel-official-trailer/ |title=Bruce Willis in 'Detective Knight: Redemption' Sequel Official Trailer |website=First Showing |first=Alex |last=Billington |date=November 8, 2022 |access-date=November 9, 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://people.com/movies/bruce-willis-stars-detective-knight-redemption-trailer/ |title=Bruce Willis Stars in Trailer for Christmas Action Sequel 'Detective Knight: Redemption' |website=People |first=Benjamin |last=VanHoose |date=November 7, 2022 |access-date=November 20, 2022}} followed by its release on DVD and Blu-ray on January 17, 2023.

=Box office=

As of January 15, 2023, Detective Knight: Redemption grossed $192,939 in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

=Critical reception=

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|71|5.2|7|ref=yes|access-date=March 2, 2025}}

Roger Moore, of Movie Nation, gave the film a 1.5/4 rating, summarizing that "one just hopes the once and future John McClane was well-compensated, and that his retirement is as comfortable as he's earned, even if this is nobody's idea of "Redemption"".{{cite web |url=https://rogersmovienation.com/2022/11/29/movie-review-bruces-farewell-trilogy-detective-knight-redemption/ |title=Movie Review: Bruce's Farewell Trilogy? "Detective Knight: Redemption" |first=Roger |last=Moore |website=Movie Nation |date=November 29, 2022 |access-date=December 8, 2022}} Brian Orndorf, of Blu-ray.com, gave the film a "D", writing the film was "just as dull and pointless as Rogue, adding another chapter to a shapeless, directionless saga jammed through the production process to take advantage of Willis's diminishing marquee value".{{cite web |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/Detective-Knight-Redemption/1635908/#Review |title=Detective Knight: Redemption review |first=Brian |last=Orndorf |website=Blu-ray.com |date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=December 9, 2022}} Jeffrey Anderson, of Common Sense Media, gave the film a 2/5 rating, saying "the second movie in Willis' farewell action trilogy features even less of its star player this time, and while the tricks and cheats used to film around him sometimes work, they too often don't".{{cite web |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/detective-knight-redemption |title=Detective Knight: Redemption Movie review |website=Common Sense Media |first=Jeffrey |last=Anderson |date=December 11, 2022 |access-date=December 12, 2022}}

In a positive review, Film Threat writer Jason Delgado gave the film a 6/10 rating, summarizing that "Willis is the action hero in Detective Knight: Redemption, which should be reason enough for his fans to see it".{{cite web |url=https://filmthreat.com/reviews/detective-knight-redemption/ |title=Detective Knight: Redemption review |first=Jason |last=Delgado |website=Film Threat |date=December 13, 2022 |access-date=December 14, 2022}} Evan Dossey, of Midwest Film Journal, also gave the film a positive review, saying the film is "a suitably entertaining crime caper, as long as you know what to expect going in."{{cite web |url=https://midwestfilmjournal.com/2023/01/06/detective-knight-redemption/ |title=Detective Knight: Redemption Review |first=Evan |last=Dossey |website=Midwest Film Journal |date=January 6, 2023 |access-date=January 16, 2023}}