Knightfall, Co-Starring Geoffrey Moore

Ros Knight suspects there is a mole in MI5. Her old-school estranged father Charles would be shocked if there wasn’t yet another mole in MI5. He is a cynical old goat, but he is the only person she can trust. That doesn’t make it any easier to ask for his help in Ben Fortune’s Knightfall, which for some unfathomable reason, the distributor decided to release on the 25^th anniversary of 9/11.

Usually, Knight is not assigned to field ops. However, her infectious disease specialization makes her presence necessary on a mission to recover a strain of mega-super-deadly bacteria. The commando team resents babysitting her, because they are either chauvinist meatheads or her secret lover. That last one would be Hugh (no last name, because he is a secret agent).

Of course, the hand-off they try to intercept takes a disastrous turn. The bad guys are in the wind with a briefcase full of demon-bacteria. However, Knight has the presence of mind to grab the special key. Without the key, the case aerosols the bacteria killing everyone around it. Only the team and their boss Julian Pollard know Knight was the bug-chaser assigned to the op, so when assassins start trying to kill her for the key, she and Hugh realize their much be a mole in MI5—yet again.

Geoffrey Moore (who previously co-starred in two of Andy Sidaris’ soft-core girls & guns capers) resembles his famous father, Sir Roger, enough to work steadily in low budget VOD movies, if he wanted to. He rarely has since the Sidaris movies, but he rather surprisingly agreed to this one.

Regardless, he has enough of the old man’s charm to convincingly portray suave Hugh. He is one of the two things Knightfall has going for it. The other is Ian Ogilvy (recognizable from Witchfinder General and dozens of U.S. and British TV shows), who hams it up marvelously as crotchety old man Knight.

In contrast, Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott (who is married to the producer Jonathan Sothcott) completely lacks their presence and credibility. Honestly, listening to her stumbling over her bacteriological exposition is rather painful. (And it is almost condescending when she reminds her colleagues, in chess, the Queen is more powerful than the knight. Wow, what a strategic thinker.)

Regardless, the real sin is the screenplay, written by the committee of Simon Cluett, Robert Dunn, Bob Schultz, and James Smy, which is so obvious, viewers will see through it even more quickly than grouchy old Knight. When the crusty retired spy-chaser name-drops Philby and Burgess, it might lead some viewers to suspect a smarter screenplay draft once existed, but most of that intelligence must have been drained out.

It is nice to see Moore and Ogilvy get a chance to shine, but they deserve a more thoughtful and polished vehicle. Its all just too lightweight. Not substantial enough to recommend, Knightfall releases this Friday (9/11, a day most of save for quiet reflection).