''Knight Rider'' is a 2008 American
made-for-television
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
which was created to serve as a
backdoor pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
for the new ''
Knight Rider
''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...
'' television series, a revival of the
1982–1986 series of the same name. This film makes no references to either the ''
Knight Rider 2000
''Knight Rider 2000'' is a 1991 American made-for-television science fiction action film based on the 1982–1986 television series ''Knight Rider''.
Overview
In the year 2000, conventional handguns have been banned, with law enforcement car ...
'' film or the ''
Team Knight Rider
''Team Knight Rider'' (''TKR'') is an American action crime drama television series that was adapted from the ''Knight Rider'' franchise and ran in syndication between 1997 and 1998. ''TKR'' was created by writer/producers Rick Copp and David ...
'' television series.
Plot
At night, several power company technicians answer a call at Charles Graiman's home. He is suspicious, as he did not expect them until the next morning. They threaten his daughter if he does not co-operate and Graiman suffers a fatal
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
. Searching his home for hard drives containing the information they are after (for a defense project named Prometheus), they stumble across a parked
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR in the garage that they unsuccessfully try to stop.
Mike Traceur, a 23-year-old ex-
Army Ranger, is awakened by his friend Dylan to deal with "Mike's investors" who are attempting to collect a $90,000 gambling debt. Traceur's
Shelby Cobra
The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the United ...
breaks down when he attempts to flee, and the men threaten Fass's life if Traceur does not pay the debt.
After an early morning surf, FBI special agent Carrie Rivai receives a call that Graiman, her longtime friend, is dead and leaves her date, a woman she met the night before, to investigate.
Sarah Graiman, a 24-year-old Ph.D. candidate at
Stanford University, lectures a class on
nanotechnology. After the lecture, she receives a phone call from
KITT
KITT or K.I.T.T. is the short name of two fictional characters from the adventure franchise ''Knight Rider''. While having the same acronym, the KITTs are two different entities: one known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand, which appeared i ...
warning her about the men planning to abduct her. Sarah's pursuers catch her, but she is rescued by KITT. Sarah and KITT track down Traceur, who turns out to be her childhood friend, and whom she was involved with has not seen since he left home at 18. They find him at the
Montecito Casino
''Las Vegas'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Gary Scott Thompson. It was broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003, to February 15, 2008, airing for five seasons. It focuses on a team of people working at the Montecito, ...
, playing poker to repay his debt. He is resistant when Sarah asks for help, but agrees when she offers to pay his debt. The two set out to find out what happened to Graiman and discover who is after them.
Rivai arrives at Graiman's home and is asked by the local corrupt sheriff to identify the body. She discovers it is not Charles Graiman; the real Graiman escaped through the woods and left a body double behind. Graiman makes his way to the home of Traceur's mother, Jennifer. The two leave for a local motel.
The men chasing them are
mercenaries for Black River, a security contractor. They are after Prometheus, a system that controls the entire United States defense network. Information needed to control the system is contained on Graiman's hard drives in the mercenaries' possession, but is encrypted; only Graiman and Sarah know the encryption keys. KITT also possesses the data and can access the system.
Graiman contacts Sarah and asks her to meet him at the motel. He advises Sarah to contact Rivai for help. When she does so, Rivai puts her phone in speaker-mode so the
sheriff can hear the location, unaware that the sheriff is working with the mercenaries.
KITT, Sarah, and Traceur find that the mercenaries have reached the
motel
A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionarie ...
, but have not found Graiman, as he checked into four different rooms. Using KITT's infrared sensors, Traceur finds Graiman with his mother and rescues them. Jennifer and Graiman reveal that Traceur's father was a man named Michael Knight and that he drove the first KITT, forcing him to stay away from his family. Traceur is absorbing this information when they reach KITT and find one of the mercenaries hacking into his system. Graiman asks KITT to shut down to prevent further infiltration and suggests Traceur drive the car manually.
As the group is leaving, the mercenaries find them. They shoot and kill Jennifer. Graiman is taken away and the other two are left to kill Traceur and Rivai as well as watch over Sarah and KITT. Just as they are about to be killed by the mercenaries, Traceur and Rivai overpower their capturers. Traceur and Sarah take KITT to chase after Graiman while Rivai stays with Jennifer's body.
Traceur and Sarah discover KITT's vulnerability to damage, due to the loss of his self-repair capabilities while his system is deactivated. After exchanging fire, Traceur reactivates KITT with just enough time to activate his armor without allowing the mercenaries to hack into him, and turns KITT directly into the mercenaries' path, causing a collision. KITT survives with no damage, while the mercenaries' SUV is heavily damaged. Graiman survives while his captors are mortally wounded or dead.
On the way to Jennifer's
funeral, Graiman reveals that he's re-forming the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG) and offers Traceur the chance to drive KITT. He refuses due to philosophical differences, saying "I just don't believe in the same things you do."
At the funeral, Traceur meets his father, Michael Knight, who tells him what Wilton Knight once told him on his death-bed — that one man can make a difference – and that he (Knight) was that man. They shake hands and as Knight prepares to leave, Traceur asks if they will ever meet again. Knight responds back to his son, "I hope so."
Traceur is behind KITT's wheel in an enclosed area. Rivai, Graiman, Sarah, and Fass bid him farewell and inform him of his mission. Sarah kisses him goodbye and a door opens behind him that shows a moving road. KITT and Mike drive out in reverse. The door is the cargo hatch of a
C-130 Hercules cargo plane which then takes off. Mike switches to manual at KITT's indignation, turns KITT around, and drives away.
Cast
*
Justin Bruening
Justin Bruening (born September 24, 1979) is an American actor and former fashion model. He was originally discovered at McDonald's in Escondido, California, by Sue Nessel, a scout for Scott Copeland. Within a week, he was shooting photos with Br ...
as Michael "Mike" Traceur
*
Deanna Russo
Deanna Russo (born October 17, 1979) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles on the 2008 NBC version of ''Knight Rider'' and the 2014 USA Network television series '' Satisfaction''.
Career
In 2003, she made her television de ...
as Sarah Graiman
*
Bruce Davison
Bruce Allen Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor and director. Davison is well known for his starring role as Willard Stiles in the cult horror film '' Willard'' (1971) and his Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning perfor ...
as Charles Graiman
*
Sydney Tamiia Poitier
Sydney Tamiia Poitier ( ) is an American television and film actress.
Early life and family
Born in Los Angeles on November 15, 1973, Poitier is the daughter of the late Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier and Canadian actress Joanna Shimk ...
as FBI Special Agent Carrie Rivai
*
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...
as the Voice of
KITT
KITT or K.I.T.T. is the short name of two fictional characters from the adventure franchise ''Knight Rider''. While having the same acronym, the KITTs are two different entities: one known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand, which appeared i ...
*
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...
as
Michael Knight
*
Susan Gibney
Susan Gibney is an American actress.
Early life and education
Gibney was born in Manhattan Beach, California. She moved to Webster, New York, at a young age, returned to California several times, returning to Webster in 2004. She graduated from ...
as Jennifer Traceur
* Wayne Kasserman as Dylan Fass
*
Jack J. Yang as Cross
* Kevin Dunigan as Smokeee
*
Greg Ellis as Welther
Production
Development
On September 26, 2007, NBC announced that it would create a two-hour
backdoor pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
to air during the 2007–2008 season.
Justin Bruening
Justin Bruening (born September 24, 1979) is an American actor and former fashion model. He was originally discovered at McDonald's in Escondido, California, by Sue Nessel, a scout for Scott Copeland. Within a week, he was shooting photos with Br ...
stars as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of
Michael Knight.
Other actors who appeared in the movie include
Deanna Russo
Deanna Russo (born October 17, 1979) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles on the 2008 NBC version of ''Knight Rider'' and the 2014 USA Network television series '' Satisfaction''.
Career
In 2003, she made her television de ...
as Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest, Sarah Graiman,
Bruce Davison
Bruce Allen Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor and director. Davison is well known for his starring role as Willard Stiles in the cult horror film '' Willard'' (1971) and his Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning perfor ...
as Sarah's father, physicist Charles Graiman,
and Wayne Kasserman as Dylan, Traceur's roommate and friend. David Hasselhoff returns as Michael Knight in a cameo.
[ KITT is portrayed as a black Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang.
Supervising producer David Andron wrote the pilot script under executive producers ]Doug Liman
Douglas Eric Liman (; born July 24, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), ''Jumper'' (2008), '' Ed ...
and Dave Bartis
David Bartis (born in Providence, Rhode Island) is an American film and television producer best known for Suits, ''The O.C.'', and Edge of Tomorrow.
Early life
He is a graduate of McLean High School, located in McLean, Virginia. Bartis earned ...
. The success of the 2007 film ''Transformers
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms ...
'' inspired NBC Entertainment President Ben Silverman to revive ''Knight Rider''.[
]NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
announced on December 13, 2007 that the new two hour pilot would air on February 17, 2008. Two new cast members were also announced; Will Arnett
William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor, comedian and producer. He is best known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and as the titular char ...
as the voice for the new KITT Mustang, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier
Sydney Tamiia Poitier ( ) is an American television and film actress.
Early life and family
Born in Los Angeles on November 15, 1973, Poitier is the daughter of the late Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier and Canadian actress Joanna Shimk ...
as FBI agent Carrie Rivai. Less than two weeks before the television film aired, Arnett stepped down as the voice of KITT after General Motors informed him of a conflict of interest, since Arnett does voiceover work for GMC Trucks. As a result, Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...
landed the role of voicing KITT.[
Several scenes use the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino, from NBC's series '']Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
''.
Featured music
*This Name is Released Intro Sequence — Knight Rider (Original Theme Remix) Not Available On YouTube and Enerer Release 2013
*New Knight Rider Theme Song 2008 Out Now Time 2:10 On YouTube.
*Chase Scene – "The Rain" by The Bloody Hollies
*Grief Scene – "Happy" by The Wrens
The Wrens were an American indie rock band from New Jersey. The group consisted of Charles Bissell (guitar/vocals), brothers Greg Whelan (guitar/vocals) and Kevin Whelan (bass/vocals), and Jerry MacDonald (drums). They released three albums; a fo ...
*Searching for Mike Tracer – "Cat (On A Hot Tin Groove)" by The Morlocks
*Las Vegas Scene – "On The Run" by DeeKompressors & Classic
*Funeral Scene – "Right Here" by Natalie Walker
Natalie Walker is an American vocalist, songwriter and musician from Indiana
who first came to prominence as part of the group Daughter Darling. While her time in the low-key electronica trip hop outfit was promising, Walker decided on a solo ...
*TV Promotion – "Yeah Yeah" by Feeder
Vehicle
The Knight Industries Three Thousand (K.I.T.T.) superseded the Knight Industries Two Thousand (K.I.T.T.) . Voiced by Val Kilmer, KITT is a modified 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR[ and has similar features to the original KITT.
The new KITT boasts the following features among others:][
* Laser
* Turbo Boost
* New attack mode
* Biomedical Scanner
* FBI database access
* High-speed Internet
* Voice-activated GPS
* Artificial Intelligence
* Military satellite access
* Sports-tuned suspension
* Self-regeneration and damage repair
* Xenon headlamps with infrared night-vision
* Biometric Interface to access security features
* solar hybrid engine
* Electro magnetic pulse to knock out nearby electronic equipment
* ]Apple Wireless Keyboard
The Apple Wireless Keyboard is a wireless keyboard built for Macintosh computers and compatible with iOS devices. It interacts over Bluetooth wireless technology and unlike its wired version, it has no USB connectors or ports. Both generations ha ...
in the glove box under an accessory drawer
* Wireless headset to communicate with passengers within a limited distance
* Metallic paint with nanotech enhanced camouflage that morphs the license plates and disguises the car as a normal Mustang in different colors
It is important to note that if KITT's Artificial Intelligence is offline, the self-regeneration mechanism is inactive, making it as vulnerable as an ordinary car. Part of the shutting down procedures of KITT's AI includes the release of the clutch pedal as well as a stick shift manual transmission Other details from the pilot film:
* Driving cross-country, KITT can average a speed of and travel in 3 h 17 min.
* Although largely solar powered, KITT does use gasoline; with 91% of the energy being recycled, it averages .
Instead of the famous communicator watch, KITT communicates with its operators via a Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
-style wireless headset, and can access wireless phone networks. Since KITT can tie into numerous computer systems, it is able to emulate many of the functions of the watch, such as unlocking doors.
Connections to original ''Knight Rider''
Besides the remixed and original theme song and cameo by Michael Knight, the original KITT is shown (still in pieces) in the scene where the antagonists search the garage. The Trans-am body (sans-hood) is partially covered by a tarp, on which rest the rear spoiler. The famous KITT steering wheel (labeled "Knight Two Thousand") and "KNIGHT" license plate are also shown, along with numerous black car body parts. Also, when the camera shows a full scene of the garage, there are three cars in the garage: The 3000, The 2000 under the tarp and a 2000 without any of the parts missing.
The original series stated that the original KITT was designed by Wilton Knight. The 2008 film says that Graiman had a major hand in designing the car and the AI, and was subsequently relocated to protect him and his family.
Reception
Although ratings for the movie were high, with Nielsen ratings reporting 10.0 million viewers watching NBC with 4.0/10 households tuning in, ''Knight Rider'' was generally received poorly by media outlets. ''IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' gave the movie a rating of 5 out of 10 saying, "No one expects ''Knight Rider'' to be particularly thought-provoking or deep, but something a bit more enjoyable would certainly be appreciated next time." ''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' stated, "Unfortunately, even at an hour the times appear to have passed the concept by, and making "Knight Rider" road-worthy for further adventures will require more than just a tune-up." The ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' stated, "The two-hour (!) movie/pilot/extended Ford commercial crept by Sunday night like a glacier with turbo-revving sound effects. (No advance screeners were available, never a good sign.)" Even with poor reviews, NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
captured first place within the 18–49 demographic. The movie averaged a viewership of 12.8 million viewers.[ The film was nominated for ''Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or Special'' by the ]Visual Effects Society
The Visual Effects Society (VES) is an entertainment industry organization representing visual effects practitioners including artists, animators, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and ...
.
Spin-off series
NBC commissioned a weekly series to debut during the 2008–2009 television season. Gary Scott Thompson was brought on to show-run and was committed to a two- year contract. Filming on the season began June 23, and the new series ran from September 24, 2008 to March 4, 2009 for just 17 episodes before being cancelled.
Charity
Two of the Shelby Mustangs used to portray KITT in the film were auctioned off at the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company's Collector Car Event, held in Palm Springs, Florida. The cars sold as a pair for $300,000 to benefit Ford's "Salute to Education" scholarship program.
See also
* ''Knight Rider'' franchise
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight Rider
Knight Rider films
2008 television films
2008 films
2008 action films
American action films
Films set in Palo Alto, California
Films set in the Las Vegas Valley
Television films as pilots
NBC network original films
Television films based on television series
2000s English-language films
2000s American films