A Knight’s War
Martin Scorsese Teaches Filmmaking
![A Knight's War [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81seesdxxtL._AC_SL1500_._SL160_.jpg)
- Bound by duty, the fearless knight Bhodie is sent to the fallen realm to reclaim the corrupted soul of the Chosen One
- To gain entry, he makes a dangerous pact with the Gatekeeper, plunging into a hellish world crawling with witches, demons, and savage barbarians
- As he battles his way closer to his goal, Bhodie uncovers a horrifying truth: the Chosen One's return could trigger chaos that might consume humanity
- Now, caught between loyalty and looming catastrophe, Bhodie faces an impossible choice--save her soul and risk the end of all, or sacrifice her to preserve the world he swore to protect
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A knight ventures into the underworld to save the prophesized Chosen One in A Knight’s War. Brave knight Bhodie (Jeremy Ninaber) and his half-brother William (Matthew Ninaber) storm a castle in an attempt to save Avalon (Kristen Kaster), to fulfil a prophecy stating that she is the Chosen One. However, Avalon is made the victim of a demonic sacrifice and is pulled down into the underworld.
William subsequently sacrifices Bhodie so the latter can follow her down. Upon arriving, Bhodie makes a blood bargain with the Keeper (Shane Nicely) to receive a talisman that will allow for 100 deaths, more or less. Meeting up with Avalon, Bhodie joins her on a perilous journey to recover stones from three lords, enabling them to pass back through the gate to the land of the living.
A Knight’s War Synopsis
A Knight’s War is a Swords and Sorcery horror film written and directed by actor and filmmaker Matthew Ninaber (Psycho Goreman, Death Valley). The film stars Jeremy Ninaber, Matthew’s real-life brother, and Kristen Kaster as the protagonists, Bhodie and Avalon, who become reluctant partners on a quest through the underworld. The quest leads them to many deadly threats, including the vicious witches Malenor (Kristen MacCulloch) and Isem (Sasha Ormond), the seductive Lilith (Raechel Fisher), and a hulking Barbarian (Matt Daciw).
My Thoughts on A Knight’s War
Giving props where props are due, A Knight’s War is a relatively low-budget film shot in Kitchener, Ontario, on backyard-built sets. As such, I have to make note how good the film looks given its limitations. However, A Knight’s War is not without its issues, as the film is incredibly darkly lit and smoke-filled at times, presumably to hide the seams of the sets.
The majority of A Knight’s War is focused on actors Jeremy Ninaber and Kristen Kaster, also the stars of director Matthew Ninaber’s previous film Death Valley, as the protagonists Bhodie and Avalon. Except for Shane Nicely as the mysterious Keeper and a brief role by Matthew Ninaber himself as Bhodie’s brother William, most of the supporting cast of A Knight’s War consist of the various demons and witches Bhodie and Avalon have to face. The creature make-up of the film is quite well done, along with a sizeable amount of gory violence.
Plotwise, A Knight’s War is structured almost like a video game, with many scenes feeling like a low budget version of The Witcher. This includes a talisman that allows the protagonists to die multiple times, leading to a very Edge of Tomorrow-like sequence, where Bhodie and Avalon use trial and error to defeat the witches Malenor and Isem. This leads to another criticism of A Knight’s War, in how a sizeable chunk of the film’s running time is spent on this first major threat, leading to the rest of the film coming off a bit rushed.
Ultimately, I would probably recommend A Knight’s War about as well as Roger Coreman’s Deathstalker films, which are currently being rebooted by Matthew Ninaber’s previous collaborator, Steven Kostanski. There are elements of A Knight’s War to like, but it is too much to go into the film expecting it to be more than a medieval B-movie. However, if you like witches, demons, and gory violence, A Knight’s War might be for you.
Trailer for A Knight’s War
