Watch online: Knight-09 latest Zhang Ziyi Hollywood blockbuster "Knight" DVD with Chinese subtitles

◎Transliteration Name Knight/Magic 4 Knights/Apocalypse Four Knights/Apocalypse 4 Knights

◎Movie Title The Horsemen

◎Year 2009

◎Country Canada/USA

◎Category Drama/Horror/Thriller/Mystery

◎Language English

◎Subtitles Chinese subtitles

◎IMDB Rating 6.4/10 (972 votes)

◎File Format DVD-RMVB

◎Video Size 624 x 352

◎File Size 1CD

◎Duration 90m13s

◎Director Jonas Akerlund

◎Cast Ziyi Zhang as Kristen

Dennis Quaid as Aidan Breslin

Lou Taylor Pucci as Alex Breslin

Barry Shabaka Henley as Tuck

Peter Stormare as Mr. Spitz

Eric Balfour as Taylor

Patrick Fugit as Cory

Clifton Collins Jr. as Stingray

Deborah Odell as Ms. Bradshawnba

Liam James as Sean Breslin

John Callander as Officermp4

Chelcie Ross as Krupa

Onalee Ames as Maryanne Spitz

David Dastmalchian as Terrence

Darren Felbel as Control Room Guy

Jordon Hodges as Police Officer Garnes

Aaron Hughes as Young Officer

Greg McAleer as Officer Spencer

Arne MacPherson as Navratil

Mel Stocking as Old Man with Dog

Stephen Eric McIntyre as Banksy

Joanne Rodriguez as Metal Face

◎Introduction

The film's title comes from the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" mentioned in the Bible’s Revelation, referring to the four major calamities of humanity - war, plague, famine, and death. In the movie, Dennis Quaid plays a detective who has just lost his wife. He is tasked with investigating a series of murders and discovers that the four victims are all related to a mysterious woman played by Ziyi Zhang. In the film, Ziyi Zhang not only has complex and entangled "dangerous relationships" with each of the four knights but also forms a complex and subtle emotional bond with Dennis Quaid amidst the case.

Aidan Breslin (played by Dennis Quaid) has recently suffered a major misfortune: his wife died unexpectedly, leaving behind two young children. Heartbroken, Aidan Breslin is immersed in thoughts of his deceased wife and pays less attention to his two sons. Considering Aidan Breslin's situation, his superior intended to let him take some time off to sort out his emotions, but the heavy-hearted Aidan Breslin still insisted on working. He felt that only through constant confrontations with criminals could he gradually forget the pain of the past.

A series of murders occurred in the city, and Aidan was assigned to investigate the case. During the investigation, Aidan discovered that the killer's choice of victims followed the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" mentioned in the Bible: the White Knight, symbolizing war, filled with desires for conquest; the Red Knight, appearing innocent but filled with anger inside; the Black Knight, controlling darkness and death; and the Grey Knight, instilling deep fear and executing like a precise surgeon. The identities and actions of the four victims can be linked to the relevant descriptions in the Book of Revelation, indicating that the murderer seems to want to bring about the end of the world described in the Bible through continuous killings.

Facing such bizarre killing methods, Aidan deeply felt the madness and unpredictability of the murderer. As the investigation progressed, Aidan found that the four victims were all related to a woman named Kristen (played by Ziyi Zhang), and Kristen might be the key to uncovering the truth. Initially, Aidan suspected Kristen as the murderer, but later realized that although her hands were stained with much blood, she was not the real culprit behind these cases. Following this sole clue, Aidan continued his investigation and eventually uncovered the truth of the entire case, which seemed to have an inseparable connection to himself...

Behind-the-Scenes Production

"The Four Sins" Triggering a Chain of Blood Cases

There have been many serial killers portrayed on the silver screen, and this year another movie about a serial killer entered the public eye, it is "The Horsemen." Regarding this movie, Jonas Akerlund, a director known for directing music videos for several famous singers and now transitioning to big-budget films, said: "This movie tells the story of a police officer and a serial killer's confrontation. It is a crime thriller. The inspiration for this movie comes from the Bible’s Revelation, where we borrowed a description of the end of the world to become the method of murder in this movie. We wanted to use a different narrative approach than other crime genre movies, so in this movie, we tell the audience who the murderer might be right from the start, then you keep watching, following the protagonist to verify whether this person is indeed the murderer. I really enjoy this process of thinking, and I believe it depends on the excellent performances of the actors and the quality of the script. We didn't want to repeat those already successful movies. From the beginning, I told the screenwriter Dave that this time we need to create a crime movie that hasn't been done before. Our serial killer must be the most unique on the screen. I am quite satisfied with this script, I think it gives the actors a lot of room to play, and the audience won't be able to guess the ending from the start."

When talking about the two main actors in this movie, Director Jonas Akerlund praised them highly: "Dennis Quaid has quite a lot of screen experience. In 'The Horsemen,' he plays the core character of the story, leading the audience to find the real culprit together. There are quite a few action scenes for him in this movie, some of which are very dangerous, but Dennis Quaid completed them smoothly without making too many requests. In addition, there are many inner monologues scenes that test the actor's acting skills, and Dennis Quaid performed them excellently, making me feel flawless. Ziyi Zhang is a very beautiful and well-known actress. We chose her initially because the production company had seen her performance in 'Rush Hour 2' and thought she had a unique charm. She was also very interested in this role, so our collaboration went very smoothly. She is an Asian actress, and this time she starred in a movie entirely in English, and she made a lot of efforts. I think Ziyi Zhang is very professional, and she put a lot into this role."

Interaction between American and Chinese Stars on Screen

Dennis Quaid has quite extensive screen experience, this time playing a solitary detective with plenty of action scenes, so many people questioned whether Dennis Quaid, over 50 years old, was physically fit enough. Regarding this role, Dennis Quaid said: "For me, being able to play this role feels very exhilarating. There are quite a few action scenes in the movie, so I did a lot of preparation before filming, working out for a long time and reviewing my driving skills. These came in handy during the actual shooting, there were quite a few scenes showcasing the muscles on my arms, and there were also a few car chase scenes, and I didn’t use a stunt double! There was also a scene in the movie where I needed to chase the murderer in broad daylight in a busy downtown area. When filming this scene, the temperature in Mexico was very high, and the sunlight was intense. I ran for a long distance under the blazing sun, sweating profusely, but I felt extremely refreshed by this sweat-soaked exercise and didn’t think it was hard at all. If anything was difficult, it was the inner monologue scenes in the movie. The director's requirements always seemed to differ from my understanding, so we had to reshoot many scenes until the director was satisfied, which was much more troublesome than the one-take action scenes."

When mentioning his cooperation with Ziyi Zhang, Dennis Quaid said: "She is an excellent actress and a highly regarded superstar. During filming, there were constantly media representatives visiting and fans screaming outside the set, she is even more famous than I imagined. There were some opposing roles between us in the movie, and any communication needed beforehand was resolved satisfactorily. By the way, I have to thank her for one thing, which happened while filming in Los Angeles when she treated me to Chinese food—dumplings. This made me unforgettable because I had never eaten this kind of food before."

Ziyi Zhang, who has been floating around Hollywood for several years, took on the role of a mysterious killer on the big screen for the first time in this movie. Compared to her previous works where her poor English accent was exposed, Ziyi Zhang clearly put effort into her dialogue in "The Horsemen," and viewers who watched the movie also commented that her English level had significantly improved. Regarding this movie, Ziyi Zhang said: "This movie was a rare cinematic experience for me, because the character I played in this movie was very different from the past, and I did a lot of preparation for this character. While studying this character, I referenced Anthony Hopkins' performance as a "murderer" in 'The Silence of the Lambs.'"

Trivia

• In this film, Neil McDonald was originally cast as Rupa, but after nearly a year of shooting his scenes in Chicago, due to certain reasons, Neil McDonald ultimately left the production, and Chelcie Ross replaced his role.

• Filming for 'The Horsemen' began in January 2007, but due to constant delays during the shoot, as well as issues with actors leaving and the quality of the film, additional reshoots were required, causing the movie, which was supposed to be finished in April 2007, to be delayed for nearly two years before its release.

• 'The Horsemen' is Ziyi Zhang's work after completing 'The Banquet' in 2006, and it is her second full English-language dialogue film.

• After 'Goal!', this is the second collaboration on screen between actors Dennis Quaid and Chelcie Ross.