Face à face

This film begins with a young boy playing in a chess match and then physically attacking his opponent upon losing the game. After being hospitalized he is released to the custody of his mentally ill mother who is told that he must abstain from playing chess from now on. Not long afterward, he discovers blood dripping from the ceiling and upon investigation notices his mother bleeding profusely in her bed and then weakly asking him to help her. But rather than helping, he chooses to open up the night stand by the bed and pulls out the chessboard that he had been deprived of and calmly helps himself to some milk and cookies before beginning a new game. The scene then shifts to twenty years later with a European Grandmaster named "Peter Sanderson" (Christopher Lambert) participating in a tournament when his lover is found in bed totally drained of blood with a sign above her body saying "Remember". And because of his connection to this woman Peter Sanderson is a prime suspect. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an entertaining movie for the most part with both Christopher Lambert and Diane Lane (as "Kathy Sheppard") performing in a fine manner. I especially liked the way in which the mystery was sustained up until the final moments. On the other hand, the way some of the chess players were depicted as being mentally unstable was somewhat overdone. Neither did I care for the rather obvious allusions to Bobby Fischer in the introduction of Peter Sanderson. Even so, I still enjoyed this film and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Knight Moves starts as a clever movie about a murder investigation over some "Zodiac" wannabe. It's one of those movies where you'll only get your answers at the end-ish.

"End-ish" because, as the movie goes on, it seems like they couldn't keep up with their complicated murder plot, so they pretty much simplify things out.

In the end, an abrupt ending and a bunch of weird fight scenes sour out the movie.

A psychopath uses the game of chess as a blueprint for a series of brutal murders, in this stylish 1992 film directed by Carl Schenkel. Cinematography, sound effects, scary music, and sparse dialogue combine to create an atmosphere of terror, suggestive of the "giallos" of Dario Argento.

We see the killer's black gloved hands; we see the flashlight shining in the darkened room of the next victim; we hear the killer's breathing through a mask. And in these scenes, absence of dialogue amplifies the surreal, menacing presence of the killer.

Suspense scenes alternate with scenes of mundane normalcy, which gives the viewer a chance to select the murderer from a pool of suspects whose behavior appear more or less normal. But beware; there are plenty of plot twists and false clues. The whodunit element kept me guessing and unsure; the film's suspense kept me fully engaged.

Acting quality is average. Diane Lane gives perhaps the most convincing performance of the bunch. My main criticism is the screenplay. In any murder mystery, the viewer needs enough information to have a fair chance at solving the whodunit puzzle. But in "Knight Moves", crucial details are left out. Also, several characters are poorly defined; we know almost nothing about them. Moreover, in several key scenes, the behavior of one of the main characters is not credible, given the story's underlying premise.

As a result, it's going to be almost impossible for the viewer to identify the killer, based solely on the plot. A script re-write, with more emphasis on character development, combined with the deletion of superfluous scenes would, I think, have made for a more satisfying whodunit puzzle.

Even so, I recommend "Knight Moves" as a most frightening and spine-tingling suspense thriller. For maximum effect, try watching it alone, in a mansion, at night with the lights turned out, during a thunderstorm.

KNIGHT MOVES

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Sound format: Dolby Stereo

Filmed on grim Canadian locations by German director Carl Schenkel (OUT OF ORDER), this curious psycho-thriller has the look and feel of an Italian giallo, despite the American setting. All the elements are in place: Christopher Lambert plays a chess grandmaster targeted by a serial killer who leaves obscure one-word messages at the scene of his/her crimes, hoping to draw Lambert into a lethal game of cat and mouse. That the murders are based on well-known chess manoeuvres should come as no surprise to seasoned thriller addicts, and nor should the killer's identity, which is betrayed by a seemingly throwaway bit of business near the beginning of the film (not a spoiler - only the truly attentive will spot it). Brad Mirman's convoluted script bends over backwards to cast suspicion on Lambert throughout (which means it *can't* be him - or can it?), but the narrative is undermined by some poorly-drawn characters, and everyone but Tom Skerritt - as the detective leading the investigation - seems to be coasting through proceedings on auto-pilot. The murders aren't explicitly detailed, and Schenkel goes out of his way to avoid crowd-pleasing exploitation, which rather curbs the film's commercial emphasis. But at least it's never dull, and the climax is reasonably proficient, complete with overwrought thunderstorm and psycho with a mommy complex! Daniel Baldwin exaggerates wildly as a macho cop determined to nail Lambert for the crimes, while Ferdinand Mayne hovers in the background, making the most of a glorified cameo as the hero's blind mentor.

After Highlander series Lambert got an average status and promissing actor who never walk on the top, Knight Moves was an ambitious project as thriller that turn up flawed for many reasons, unrealistic, too complex, endorsed by a really bad screemplay and finally overlong, the idea to revenge through a chess game seems be insane to start, some characters likes Daniel Baldwin's behavior is incompatible with a real cop, although this neo giallo won't disappoint tatally, but the final scenes on flooded basement is too implausible, this little mistakes taken away an auspicious picture, fine and hot sexy scenes neutralize something!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.5