The Detective Knight film series consists of American action films, directed by Edward John Drake from original stories he co-wrote with Corey Large. The series details the police investigations of veteran Detective James Knight, played by Bruce Willis, and is notable for being one of his final roles before retiring from acting due to his health struggles with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnoses. The plot of each film centers around a different holiday and follows the lead character's attempts to resolve the associated criminal activities.
The movies have been met with mixed reception overall. The first installment, its sequel, and the third and final release were collectively criticized for their pace, story elements, B-movie quality, and script. Conversely, elements of the movies received positive reactions for the writer/director's storytelling framework around Willis, while honoring his legacy with limited lines to respectfully utilize his legacy presence, regardless of his diminishing health problems, with praise directed at the film series' action sequences. The film series earned $341,525 at the box office through limited international theatrical distribution.
Films Detective Knight: Rogue (2022)
Det. James Knight, whose reputation is in question with the police force, is called into action when a series of masked bank robberies taking place during the Halloween season plague the area. Working through the investigation with his friend Det. Eric "Fitz" Fitzgerald, and with the help of their colleague Det. Godwin Sango, the trio find a trail of clues that leads them to connections with a businessman named Winna. Coming to terms with demons from his past, Knight begins to discover that the gang of thieves may be an inside job.
Detective Knight: Redemption (2022)
After killing a pair of thieves to save his police partner, Det. James Knight finds himself sentenced to serve a term in prison. After Det. Fitzgerald begins to clear his name, Knight is tasked with investigating potential connections to a series of events being examined by the police department, all while being surrounded by criminals he helped to incarcerate. During Christmastime a former ex-convict-turned-chaplain of the facility named Ricky Conlan organizes a jailbreak as a means to fight the commercial aspects of the holiday under the alias of the Christmas Bomber, alongside his band of lawbreakers who call themselves the Real Saints of Christmas. Now given the chance of exoneration in clearing his name, with the decades of experience Det. Knight must stop the plans the group has planned before it's too late.
Detective Knight: Independence (2023)
Det. James Knight is called into action one last time when the threat of a domestic terrorist group causing commotion once again arises. As the celebration of the nation's Independence Day approaches, a disgruntled former EMT-turned-criminal named Dezi, alongside his girlfriend Ally, plans to complete a heist in compensation for recently being fired. With the help of ex-criminal father Vincent, they assemble a team to take a large sum of money and escape before they're discovered. When they begin to leave a trail of murders in their wake, Knight grows closer to solving the case and ending their spree. Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter Story by Producers Detective Knight: Rogue Edward Drake Corey Large & Edward Drake Corey Large, George Furla & Randall Emmett Detective Knight: Redemption Detective Knight: Independence Corey Large & Robert Dean
Main cast and characters
Character Films Detective Knight: Rogue Detective Knight: Redemption Detective Knight: Independence Principal cast Det. James Knight Bruce Willis Det. Eric "Fitz" Fitzgerald Lochlyn Munro Det. Godwin Sango Jimmy Jean-Louis Winna Michael Eklund Michael Eklund Casey Rhodes Beau Mirchoff Mercer Corey Large Mike Rochester Trevor Gretzsky Nikki Sykes Keeya King Ricky Conlan Paul Johansson Dajon Cody Kearsley Maxwell Roy Sarah May Sommers Jerry Leach Nels Lennarson Dezi Jack Kilmer Ally Willow Shields Vincent Timothy V. Murphy Supporting cast Capt. Anna Shea Miranda Edwards Mayor Vassetti John Cassini Arthur Vassetti Jerry Yu Lily Rhodes Hunter Daily Clara Rhodes Alice Comer Brigga Johnny Messner Johnny Messner The Chess Master Ryan Xue COP Charlotte Burnham Dina Meyer Peter O'Malley Francis Cronin Sean Beston Scott Cargle Nico Michael Sparks Kirill Mark Hewlett George Lorenzo Antonucci Quinn Dax Spangole
Additional crew and production details Title Crew/Detail Composer Cinematographer Editor Production companies Distributing companies Running time Detective Knight: Rogue Scott Currie Laffrey Witbrod Justin Williams Lions Gate FilmsBuffalo 8 ProductionsEmmett/Furla Oasis Films Lionsgate 105 mins Detective Knight: Redemption 93 mins Detective Knight: Independence 91 mins
Reception
Box office and financial performance Film Box office gross Box office ranking North America Other territories Worldwide All time North America All time worldwide Detective Knight: Rogue $95,244 $95,244 #31,475 Detective Knight: Redemption $192,939 $192,939 Detective Knight: Independence $53,342 $53,342 Totals $341,525 $341,525 x̄ #10,492
Critical and public response Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic Detective Knight: Rogue 43% Detective Knight: Redemption 67% Detective Knight: Independence 43%
References
Notes