Street Knight – Gangs, Cops and Jeff Speakman
Director: Albert Magnoli
Cast: Jeff Speakman, Christopher Neame, Jennifer Gatti
Jeff Speakman is one of those underrated action stars of the 90’s who never flourished beyond low budget action flicks despite his impressive Kempo skills, something he has shown in abundant in his films. He may not be a great actor, but let’s face it, most of the action stars weren't. He never worked on films that had a decent budget or backed up by any big studio, which ultimately led to this retirement in early 2000.
Street Knight is one of his hit films that I felt was a pretty nice film because it had all the elements of a nice action film. There's gang rivalry, corrupt cops and an ex-cop trying to bring justice on the streets in his own way. It’s not a high-octane action film but had some really impressive fight scenes every once in a while. The film doesn’t look cheap and has a nice visual essence as well. The acting may not be great but the actors were able to deliver their characters.
Street Knight has the perfect recipe for a 90’s action film and has all the traits but since it doesn’t have any big stars or budget, its lost somewhere in the oblivion. It’s a delight for cult action fans who love to watch films from the era that was ruled by Arnold, Stallone, Van Damme, Seagal, Willis and others on the bigger stage, while people like Jeff Speakman were making their presence felt on a much smaller scale. The film also pays a little tribute to Arnold when Jeff says: "hasta la vista baby, Schwarzenegger."
Sometimes it's sad to see that these films never had a wider audience and were confined to either dedicated fans or collectors. But whatever the case may be, I love to watch these films from time to time and if you are one of those crazy fellas like me then do not miss this one out.
Note: B or not to B is series of articles based on the B Action movies of the 80’s and 90’s. I am a big fan of these movies because they have a certain flavor not everyone can cherish. Many may cite them as sheer work of misdirected minds, but to me, they are a source of real inspiration. These movies never had the budget to back them but still, the action and stunts were no less than any big studio. This is my tribute to some of the unsung films of the past.
Soumit 'The Top' Nath
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