Knightriders (1981)

Director: George A. "NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD" Romero

Starring: Ed Harris, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: The Games...The Romance...The Spirit...Camelot is a state of mind.

Plot: A travelling troupe of jousters and performers are slowly cracking under the pressure of hick cops, financial troubles and their failure to live up to their own ideals. The group's leader, King Billy, is increasingly unable to maintain his warrior's rule while the Black Knight is being tempted away to LA and stardom, as they all have to ask why they were here in the first place.



My Rating: 8/10

Would I watch it again? Is that a badass poster or what?

This movie kicked the shit out of me. I was stunned. For years and years I saw the VHS cover at the video stores but never thought much other than, "cool cover". The premise seemed silly to my teenage mind. Boy, was I an idiot. This movie is outstanding. It's like I got kicked in the balls, my balls were then taken to Oscar Goldman to be rebuilt, brought back and installed back in the sack and then, despite by my balls being bionic, they were kicked again and had to be taken BACK to the lab for adjustments. THAT'S what this movie did to me.

The atmosphere was so rich and exciting I wanted to leave as soon as it was over and join them. It looked like such a fun thing to do. I dig Renaissance Fairs but the one we get here is lame because of the location - a fairgrounds with not a tree around. The one I went to in Rhode Island was in the middle of a forest. Now that's a RenFair.

I get the feeling that Ed Harris is a serious method actor and that he probably didn't talk to anyone during the shoot. His acting is so fucking intense it's surprising he didn't kill somebody. He barks, yells and broods A LOT. Everybody else is having fun. Savini is a blast to watch, btw. I dug the motorcycles as a substitute for horses. It's just too cool. The big show at the end runs a little long and it needed to be trimmed because the run time is a staggering 145 minutes. This is a meaty movie and you feel like you've had at least 7 giant turkey legs by the end of it but it's oh so satisfying like nothing else.