Knight Moves (1992)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Carl Schenkel

Writer (WGA):

Brad Mirman (written by)

Release Date:

22 January 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

In a game of life and death... one wrong move could be his last...

Plot:

A chess grandmaster is in a big tournament, and when his lover is found painted up and the blood drained out of her body he becomes a chief suspect...

Plot Keywords:

Chess | Serial Killer | Super Mario | Beautiful Woman | Throat Slitting

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Christopher Lambert	...	Peter Sanderson
Diane Lane	...	Kathy Sheppard
Tom Skerritt	...	Capt. Frank Sedman
Daniel Baldwin	...	Det. Andy Wagner
Codie Lucas Wilbee	...	David, 9 Years Old
Joshua Murray	...	Peter, 14 Years Old (as Josh Murray)
Frank C. Turner	...	Doctor
Don Thompson	...	Father
Megan Leitch	...	Mother
Alex Diakun	...	Grandmaster Lutz
Ferdy Mayne	...	Jeremy Edmonds (as Ferdinand Mayne)
Katharine Isabelle	...	Erica Sanderson (as Katherine Isobel)
Mark Wilson	...	Newscaster
Kehli O'Byrne	...	Debi Rutlege
Blu Mankuma	...	Steve Nolan

Also Known As:

Face to Face
Knight Moves (Germany)
Knight Moves - Ein mörderisches Spiel (Germany)

Runtime:

108 min | Spain:113 min | Argentina:116 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Cineplex Odeon Films

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Midway through the film Peter Sanderson and Frank Sedman are conferring with a computer whiz. When we see a full view of the table that the men are standing around it's not Sedman but Tom Skerritt's stand-in - his face is in full view.

Quotes:

David: Please, I don't want to get into the psychological aspects of my actions. It would detract from the game.
Peter Sanderson: How?
David: I couldn't say it better than Huxley.
Peter Sanderson: Well, Huxley's quote also says, "for his play is always fair and just."
David: So, is mine within the framework of my rules.

Movie Connections:

Features Super Mario Bros. (1985) (VG)

Soundtrack:

I Put A Spell On You

Excellent mystery who-dunnit!

Excellent film who-dunnit. The setting of a chess tournament as a backdrop for the various murders is unusual. Constantly kept guessing as to whether the "hero" is in fact the murderer, until the very end where the killer is revealed.

Christopher Lambert as the chess master plays out his anguish well as the evidence pointing to him builds to the point where the police believe he did it. The slips of the tongue from Lambert also give the impression he 'could' be the killer... But is he? Diane Lane is good as usual, not a lot is asked of Tom Skerrit so he doesn't give a lot as the police chief. Baldwin is good as the prejudiced cop who takes a serious dislike to Lambert's character.

Worth watching the first time for your own pleasure. Watch it a second time with someone who hasn't seen it before to see their reactions to the mystery!