Heath Ledger (The Patriot) displaying great charm and a winning smile throughout, plays William Thatcher, squire to a washed up champion jouster, who dies during a competition, leaving William to masquerade as his master in order to collect their winnings. Aided by his initially less than enthusiatic pals Roland (Mark Addy from Full Monty) and Wat (Alan Tudyk, 28 Days) William fakes nobility to illegally enter competitions. On their travels they encounter a naked wanderer, the future famed author, Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany) who joins their `crusade' and helps to forge William's ancestral lineage, so that he can take part in the noblemen only games. Whilst competing (according to my wife who seems to like every Australian film star) the very handsome William catches the eye of a lady, Jocelyn (the very beautiful Shannyn Sossamon), and sets out to win her heart. However, standing between William and his two goals of winning the World Championships and winning the hand of Lady Jocelyn stands the dastardly Count Adhemar (brilliantly played by Rufus Sewell, Dark City).

This is a surprising change of direction for writer/Director Brian Helgelend (LA Confidential). This movie is great fun and the mixture of rock music (they sing, clap and stamp Queen's We Will Rock You before each joust) and medieval times works surprisingly well, adding to the excitement and atmosphere of each competition. Both Heath Ledger and Shannyn Sossamon shine in their lead roles and share excellent on-screen sexual chemistry. However, it is Paul Bettany who steals most scenes as the occasionally naked, always in trouble, lyrical Geoffrey Chaucer. Also watch out for James Purefoy in a relatively small role (but tipped for greater things)!

Extra features on the DVD include a light-hearted commentary from Brian Helgeland and Paul Bettany, where they reveal some of the FX tricks of the trade and hear Helgeland feign ignorance of the fact that they didn't dance to David Bowie in 1366 or play Queen's "We Will Rock You" at jousting tournaments. There is also a passable documentary and some excellent deleted scenes and a music video where Britains most popular of current musical stars Robbie Williams performs Queen's "We Are the Champions" with all the pomp and grandiosity of Freddie Mercury, outlining why he is considered natural heir to Mercury's throne as Britains Greatest Showman.

Four stars for the movie (five stars are far too often and easily dispensed), four stars for the extras. Well worth checking out.


Changing their stars   February 7, 2004
 46 out of 50 found this review helpful

I can't tell you how surprised I was when I absolutely loved this movie! I didn't expect to like it at all. I figured it would be a two-dimensional MTV take on Medieval sport. Instead the producers did something dangerous -- they found a script!

Sure it's predictable and there are plenty of cliched lines, but the film absolutely succeeds in what it set out to do. It plays very well by its own rules. And it is surprisingly moving at times. When the film could have sunk to schmaltz, it holds its own with good acting and sturdy writing.

What could have been another stupid teen movie actually has legs and a soul.

I'm amazed the number of people who fault it for its inventive style in incorporating contemporary music with the medieval milieu, when these same people loved Shrek for doing exactly the same thing.

I applaud the risks the film takes and how well it succeeds when it takes them. In the end, isn't Pro Wrestling or boxing the modern day equivalent of the joust? In spirit and appeal, at least, if not in grace or sophistication.

Call it a guilty pleasure, but the film is a fun and successful and worth watching again.

Don't skip the deleted scenes -- wonderful stuff there, especially the extended stockade scene.


A PSEUDO-MEDIEVAL ROMP...   August 8, 2005
 14 out of 17 found this review helpful

This highly enjoyable, fairy tale of a film revolves around the efforts of William, a tanner's son, trying to change his destiny. His father gave him up into servitude to a knight, when William was a slip of a lad, in hopes of his having a better future. When he grows up, William, remembering his father's advice, reaches for the stars in an effort to become what he has always dreamed of being, a knight in shining armor.

Played to perfection by the very hunky and charismatic Heath Ledger, William gets his big break when the knight, whom he serves, dies during a jousting competition. Donning his knight's armor and substituting secretly for the knight, he handily, though clumsily, wins the competition and its purse. He persuades Roland and Wat, the other two vassals who also served the now dead knight, to assist him in his efforts to continue competing. They reluctantly agree and begin helping him train for future jousting competitions. William, however, needs credentials establishing his knighthood in order to compete, as mere peasants are prohibited to do so. He has the good fortune to run into a man of letters, Geoffrey Chaucer, who happens to be a bit down on his luck. Chaucer agrees to provide him with forged patents in order to enter tournaments.

William, playing the role of a knight named Ulric Von Lichtenstein, becomes a force with which to be reckoned on the playing field. This does not pass unnoticed by an evil knight, Count Adhemar, played with deliciously wicked malice by Rufus Sewell, who does not hesitate to play dirty on and off the field, if necessary, in order to win. William, however, plays his role most honorably and nobly.

William falls in love with the Lady Jocelyn, whom Sewell also covets and intends to marry, but Lady Jocelyn, played by lovely newcomer, Shannyn Sossamon, may be falling for our erstwhile hero. This turn of events makes Count Adhemar all the more determined to win on and off the field. When a jousting competition brings them all to William's hometown, Adhemar pulls out all the stops in an effort to settle the matter once and for all.

This is truly a fun film. The viewer can't help but love the ever so earnest William, played by the simpatico and romantically handsome Heath Ledger. Paul Bettany, as the insouciant and scampish Chaucer, very nearly steals the film, so terrific is he in his role. Rufus Sewell is both sexy and ruthless as the unprincipled and haughty Count Adhemar. The rest of the supporting cast is likewise superb, with the exception of Shannyn Sossamon who does not seem fit the role of one to the manor born.

While the plot seems somewhat formulaic, it is made new by the interjection of modern day music and customs. Watch as the crowd gathered for the jousting competition stomps, claps, and does the "wave" in time to Queen's rousing song, "We Will Rock You". See Chaucer act as a modern day huckster for his knight, working the crowd to a fever pitch. Look to the dance led by William at a post jousting reception at the local castle. Likewise, Jocelyn's costumes, at times, resemble haute couture. These modern day interjections that occur throughout the film, though jarring, keep this age old story fresh and funny. It is difficult not to enjoy this film, as it is infectious in its charm.


One of the year's best! Full of fun and excitement!   September 28, 2001
 12 out of 15 found this review helpful

Peasants chanting Queen's "We Will Rock You?" A medieval royal ball gone disco? You may think it's silly, and you'd be right: it's absolutely ridiculous. But "A Knight's Tale" dares to walk the tightrope of placing the old with the new, incorporating modern songs and phrases into an era gone by, and it succeeds in doing so. The perfect mix of grandeur, passion, and exciting action, director Brian Helgeland tells a likeable tale that, for me, is a real triumph of a film.

From the beginning, the movie puts forth its own set of rules, as peasants sing "We Will Rock You" during a jousting match; at this point, you either accept the movie's machinations, or turn away in contempt. At the center of the excitement is William Thatcher (Heath Ledger), a squire whose master has just taken part in his last match. Desperately in need of money for food, he and his partners Roland and Wat (Mark Addy and Alan Tudyk) decide to finish the match themselves, and William dons the armor and takes the arena by storm, giving new meaning to the phrase "natural born."

But that isn't enough for the ambitious lad, whose life-long dream of becoming a knight stems from his father's instillation of hope in him. After encountering Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany) and striking a deal with him to concoct a fictitious family history for William, they make their way to several jousting matches, where William takes a new identity, a new love interest in Lady Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon), and a new rival in Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell), whose jealousy over William's fame and popularity stir his devious mind.

A somewhat formulaic plot, you might say, but when you're having so much fun in a film such as this, does it really matter? There is such a high spirit to the movie, an energy so exciting and full of joy that any inhibitions you originally had will be swept aside once the movie invites you on its trek.

Much of this enjoyment is due to the cast, which is stellar in all fields. Ledger is the ideal embodiment of a hero, and his character's mission becomes one of hope and strength through his forthright acting. He and newcomer Sossamon share a warm chemistry, one that is as vibrant as a medieval tapestry. Addy, Tudyk, and Bettany are riotous as William's cohorts, each of them possessing a warm spirit that makes this supporting cast one of the year's best. The rival Adhemar is played exquisitely by Sewell, who even has that cunning look and characteristic about him.

Director Helgeland, who also wrote the film, brings an upbeat feel to the movie, even in its more emotional scenes. His portrayal of a medieval setting is less articulate than something along the lines of, say, "Excalibur," but it's nonetheless breathtaking, if not exquisite. Helgeland also instills a high energy into the jousting matches, giving us many different points of view, and charging each scene with fast-paced editing and the roar of cheering audiences in the arena.

The movie's true high point is the comic relief, stemming from the mix of 14th century settings with post-modern culture. The "We Will Rock You" sequence is bursting with laughs and upbeat charisma, a successful opener to the film. A medieval ball that begins with harmonic melodies resonates into David Bowie's "Golden Years," and the scene practically takes flight. Some may sneer at the mixture, but it is purely nothing more than good-natured fun, and I fully recommend it.

While scenarios such as this are nothing new, they are rarely done so well, and that's what makes "A Knight's Tale" such a special movie. It's got everything you could ask for in a movie: genuine comedy, a believable love story, likeable characters, and a plot that never stops moving. It's brilliant combination of eras and culture is nonetheless upbeat and inspired, and I enjoyed every minute of it. One of the best films of the year.