Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020
Images from the Internet
A Knight’s Tour
Directed by Marvin Choi
Fugitive Frames; Terror Films
77 minutes, 2018 / 2020
Perhaps it’s a
post-Covid 19 world, or maybe even a zombie apocalypse. Whatever brought our
two characters into proximity to each other in the middle of nowhere, we are
there with them.
Humorously,
the joke is the “Black guy” is the first to get killed in genre films, yet here
we have a two-person story, both of whom are African-American. This is the
first feature I can remember other than Sleuth (1972) to consist of only
a duo of actors.
 |
| Darnel Powell and Joseph Price |
Injured,
Joseph “JD” Dauber (Darnel Powell) stumbles upon the humble abode of elder
Henry LaMoe (Joseph Price) in the middle of some mighty hills (filmed in
California). Like 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), the homeowner is
suspicious of the newcomer, and promptly locks him in chains less than 5
minutes into the film, so hopefully I am not giving a spoiler to anyone. The
irony of a Black man chaining up another Black man is something that can be discussed
at length, obviously, but I am not going to go into that right now. Needless to
say, this is more of a psychological drama than an action-packed shoot-‘em-up.
Unlike John
Goodman’s modern and spacious underground lair, Henry’s home is more of a wooden
shack, with no running water (and though unseen, I am assuming an outhouse). It’s
a backwater hovel that is probably way more realistic to the situation than the
big budget Goodman sci-fi film.
The story
takes place with enough years after “the outbreak” (sounding scarily familiar
to our modern times) that JD, I’m thinking in his mid-20s, pretty much grew up
in the post-apocalypse to the point of where it has become somewhat the new
normal for him. Old school Henry is not as sure of his footing in this
abandoned world of understandable paranoia and clings to the cabin and his
past. Everyone he has cared about is gone, and he faces the world alone. That’s
when JD comes into the picture.
Naturally,
there is suspicion at first that slowly builds into a necessary friendship between
the two, though trust is harder to come across in this world of short supplies
and roving gangs. As much as the game of chess is a central motif, including
the title, Henry and JD try to figure each other out while keeping their own “king”
on guard against being hurt, or worse. For them, it’s a game of literal survival.
This is an odd
choice to be reviewed on this blog, because despite its internal time period, technically
the film is not what one would normally place in a horror or thriller genre. It’s
more a psychological piece of two strangers who are trying to survive their
surroundings as things change from what has become the routine. JD’s world
changes more often as he is roaming, but for Henry, it is much harsher, like
the lick of a cat: it’s something you may crave, but the roughness does not
always make it easier.
Both Powell
and Price fit their roles well, with JD being curious and almost casual about
what is happening around him (sort of a personification of the look Willem Defoe
gives Amy Madigan when she bursts into his room with a gun in 1984’s Streets
of Fire). Henry is more intense and tightly wound, having spent years on
his own with no one to share his thoughts. His humanity is on the line, and JD willingly
or involuntarily has the ability to shine some reflection on that area. Or,
perhaps, he has some other nefarious aims that come to light when Henry finds
out just how JD survives.
This is a
first full-length feature film for director Marvin Choi, who also wrote and
edited it. Man, if this is his first, I can only imagine where he can go, say, by
10 years from now. Again, if you are expecting a “The Walking Dead,” change the
channel. Sure, there is some serious tension here, but if what you seek is an
intelligent dance between two lost souls who are seeking out any hint of
humanity left in the world, I strongly recommend this release.
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