Bullet Points: Knights
Back in the summer of 2020, we presented The Ultimate Albert Pyun Countdown. In addition to counting down the Top 10 action movies directed by Albert Pyun, we presented a companion piece filled with Honorable Mentions that did not quite make the Top 10.
Earlier this year, Big Mike Leeder (a great follow by the way) shared a clip from an Albert Pyun movie on Instagram. It was an Albert Pyun movie that did not make either of the lists we presented and we had some pretty obscure Pyun movies on those lists. The movie in question was 1993’s Knights and the clip that Mike shared sold me on tracking the movie down…
- Childhood Memories: The movie starts off in the past with a group of farmers that are confronted by a band of cyborgs led by Job (Lance Henriksen, Hard Target). But these were unlike any cyborgs I have experienced before… these cyborgs need human blood to operate. It was also a Lance Henriksen like I have never experienced before, with his robotic arms complete with tentacles at the end. Anyway… these vampire cyborgs make a deal with the farmers, lay down their weapons and give them their blood and they’ll let their children live. One of those children is young Nea and after the opening credits many years would have passed and we’d meet adult Nea played by five time world kickboxing champion, Kathy Long.
- Something Wicked This Way Comes: Adult Nea who wandered on her own for years is now living with a group of farmers and when she hears some of them talking about the rumors that there are “demons” coming, she chimes in since she knows all too well these “demons” are not just folklore… they are real! And the “demons” are also “hungry” and need the blood of 10,000 humans to not only satisfy their own needs but to expand their ranks and conquer the world! But these blood sucking cyborgs have heard a rumor themselves… that there is someone with the ability to terminate them!
- If The Left One Don’t Get You, The Right One Will: Two groups of cyborgs go out to collect the blood. One led by Simon (Scott Paulin) and the other led by Job… Simon ends up finding Nea and it looks like she is about to meet the same fate as her family did years earlier… until Gabriel (Kris Kristofferson, Convoy) shows up. Gabriel is a cyborg that has been programmed to kill the vampire cyborgs because it is believed much like the ninja rule, only a cyborg can kill a cyborg!
- Let’s Make a Deal: Nea will show Gabriel a short cut so he can beat Job and his cyborgs to Taos, where Job plans on getting the blood he needs and wiping out the entire population. Gabriel agrees to the deal and begins to train Nea… with the first real test of her skills coming when Job’s right hand man David (Gary Daniels, Heatseeker) and some minions (this is the scene I mentioned in the intro that sold me on the movie). It ends up being a test neither Gabriel or Nea pass as Gabriel is blown to pieces and Nea is taken prisoner… but Nea ain’t done fighting, she escapes and plans on carrying on Gabriel’s mission… but don’t count Gabriel out just yet!!
After watching Knights, I have to say it deserves at least an Honorable Mention if not a spot in our Top 10. Kathy Long gets to showcase her fighting skills and personality. Kris Kristofferson is excellent as the badass mentor character. And how can you go wrong with Lance Henriksen as your villain, especially a creepy non-human Lance Henriksen? You can’t!
How can you go wrong with some Bonus Bullet Points? You can’t!
- First Time: Knights was Kathy Long’s first starring role, but not her first acting gig. Prior to Knights she had a supporting role in the Cynthia Rothrock/Richard Norton team up Rage and Honor and did a guest spot on the Carl Weathers/Bryan Genesse series Street Justice.
- Familiar Faces: Several Pyun regulars are featured in Knights… Tim Thomerson (Spitfire and Nemesis) plays one of the farmers talking about the “demon” rumors early on in the film… Vincent Klyn (Cyborg and Kickboxer 2) plays Ty, a human who volunteers to help Job and his cyborgs in hopes of becoming one himself… Nicholas Guest (Dollman and Kickboxer 4) has a brief role as Nea’s father.
- It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than THIS: After having to purchase a copy of Knights on VHS so I could watch and review the movie, I was shocked to see that Knights was actually airing on THIS TV, a free over-the-air movie network (check your local listings). Could a Blu-ray release be next?
