An allegorical masterpiece

Phil-63

George Romero has always, in one way or another, made allegorical films, and KNIGHTRIDERS is no exception. The film can easily be read as a metaphor of his own work as an independent filmmaker, with Harris' character functioning as his alter-ego. The knights symbolize Romero's actors, while those that work behind the scenes (the musicians, the dancers, those that repair the bikes or prepare the weapons) represent his technical team, and their way of life is exactly like the way Romero was making his films until '82. The death of Harris' character near the end of the movie echoes the death of Romero's independent filmmaking career: the following year, he started working with big studios with CREEPSHOW. Using many of the actors that appeared in his previous films, Romero crafts an intimate and extremely honest testament that can only grow in meaning on subsequent viewings. That KNIGHTRIDERS works as an adventure film is just the icing on the cake; what's under is what will really matter to the fan of Romero's cinema.

score /10

Phil-63 7 August 1999

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0186927/