Female-led spy thriller Knightfall fails to match Bond’s glamour or polish
The Guardian reviews Knightfall, a low-budget British spy thriller that puts a gender-flipped twist on the James Bond formula, positioning itself to fill the gap left by 007's absence from screens. The film follows tough security operative Ros Knight, played by Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott, as she attempts to recover a stolen bioweapon, but the review finds it lacks the polish, tension and glamour of its inspiration despite a game supporting cast.
Produced by microbudget specialist Jonathan Sothcott and directed by Ben Fortune, the film swaps Bond's Aston Martins for a Mini and trades exotic locations for drizzly marinas and country lanes, with the reviewer suggesting the dim lighting may be masking budget constraints. The cast includes Ian Ogilvy as Ros's estranged father, Roger Moore's son Geoffrey as her love interest, Michael Paré and Nick Moran, with Ogilvy singled out as the standout performer. The review concludes the film feels dated even by pre-Bourne standards and risks looking redundant against the more accomplished tattiness of Slow Horses, though it retains some nostalgic charm. Knightfall is released on digital platforms from 14 September.
- Guardian reviews Knightfall, a gender-swapped, low-budget Bond-style thriller.
- Stars Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott, Ian Ogilvy and Geoffrey Moore; budget limits show.
- Reviewer finds it lacks tension despite nostalgic charm; out 14 September.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Knightfall review – low-rent gender-flipped Bond knock-off swaps Aston Martins for Minis”.