Blyss's Review For:

Main Cast of Characters

Heath Ledger.............William Thatcher

Alan Tudyk........Wat Falhurst

Shannyn Sossamon.............Jocelyn

Mark Addy...........Roland

Rufus Sewell............Count Adhemar

Laura Fraser............Kate the Ferrier

James Purefoy........Edward, Black Prince of Wales

Leagh Conwell..............Young William Thatcher

Christopher Cazenove.........John Thatcher

Paul Bettany.........Geoffrey Chaucer

2001. Rated PG-13. Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Drama 132 minutes

"Can a man change his stars?"

In medieval times, we learn that jousting was a popular sport only allowed to be performed by nobles. It then moves onto to three knight's apprentices, William, Wat, and Roland who find their knight dead right before a match. They strip him of his armor and Will jousts in his place and wins. Will decides they should do this to make a living for themselves while he pretends to be a knight. The other two agree and he starts training. As they are riding and walking along to their next match, they run across a naked man walking down the road who introduces himself as Geoffrey Chaucer. He says he is a great writer and can even fake patents of nobility which could help a common person become a knight because it establishes a birthright of nobility. William and the others allow him to come along with them and they clothe him. Geoffrey becomes his herald and introduces him at the matches. He meets the beautiful Jocelyn and he must defeat the unbeatable foe of Count Adhemar. Can a common man change his stars, get the woman he loves, and become a great champion knight?

I have always been taken with stories of good knights, princesses, and evil knights. This one intrigued me enough to pick it up. Heath Ledger IS William Thatcher. He fits into the role so well as if someone had him in mind when they wrote it. Count Adhemar is the ultimate villian just as William is so much the hero. The Count takes what he can from William and throws it in his face before he even knows his true identity and that he is not really of noble birth. I hated him so much especially when he told William, "You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting." I just wanted to beat him half to death with his own helmet!

Comic relief is provided by Chaucer, Paul Bettany, as he is a character that will gamble the own clothes off his back just to be in a poker game. Wat also provides comedy as he is always threatening to "fong" someone. He acts like he is tough but you get the feeling that he is not as tough as he seems.

However, nothing compares to the best part of the movie: the romance of Jocelyn and William. I loved seeing their relationship blossom and grow. He loves her so much that he will fight for her. Plus he even had Chaucer and the others help him come up with poetry to give her. He had me convinced! Wish I had a boyfriend like that!

The absolute best scene is when William is imprisoned and he thinks back on his own life and how he got to where he was. Then as he is being punished, someone he has been kind to and that has a lot of pull in society, steps out and saves him. He also does something else for him that is out of this world but I won't ruin it in case you have not seen the film yet!

Overall, if you have not seen this, go rent it now! You get the best of everything!

I rate this movie: 9

Blyss