CCC Reviews

A Knight's Tale

Do not expect a recreation of medieval life in the same sense that Gladiator re-created ancient Rome. In fact, don't expect anything remotely close to a historical re-creation of anything. A Knight's Tale is a fun way to relive the feelings of the medieval tournaments.

The film sets this tone right away by opening up to a jousting arena where the crowd is beating their hands on the rails to beat of Queen's We Will Rock You. This crowd continues to do the wave and even crowds of people swarm when one competitor's helmet gets thrown into the audience like a home run at a baseball game. From the beginning, this film doesn't take itself seriously.

But what is revealed is a tale of determination and love. William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) is a young paige who has been loyal to his master for years on end. He has been with him as a child, and when his master dies before a tournament, Thatcher takes his place despite not being of noble blood. What ensues is a dream of Thatcher's, to become a knight. Even though he doesn't have the means for it and lacks the papers, he finds his way.

Aided by his friends Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk) the trio train Thatcher to be at least ready for the the joust and sword competitions. However, they run across a naked man on the road, a man by the name of Geoffrey Chaucer. Yes, this is exactly the same Chaucer that wrote the Caunterbury Tales, although he hasn't yet. Chaucer's character is important because he provides Thatcher with the forged documents needed as well as acts as Thatcher's speaker. When the group come across a young blacksmith, their group is almost complete. Although the blacksmith is shunned upon because, its a she. But Kate is one of the best smiths in the circle.

As time progresses, Thatcher begins to develop a lust for the Lady Jocelyn who is at every tournament that he is at. But again, he is not of noble blood and has to continue with his rouse. Count Adhemar, Thatcher's biggest competition in the joust, becomes also a threat to Jocelyn.

Believe it or not, but this movie has a lot of things that happen in it beyond just jousting. There is a lot of character development and the relationships build steadily throughout. Its a lot of fun, and the jokes, if you can catch them, are an absolute riot. 


Scores for A Knight's Tale
Slacker711 - - "If you see past the cheesiness, there is a lot of fun."

Cast
William Thatcher - Heath Ledger
Count Adhemar - Rufus Sewell
Jocelyn - Shannyn Sossaman
Geoffrey Chaucer - Paul Bettany
Kate - Laura Fraser
Roland - Mark Addy
Wat - Alan Tudyk
Christiana - Bérénice Bejo
Germaine - Scott Handy
Sir Thomas Colville - James Purefoy
Young William Thatcher - Leagh Conwell
John Thatcher - Christopher Cazenove
Simon the Summoner - Steve O'Donnell
Peter the Pardoner - Jonathan Slinger
Sir Ector - Nick Brimble

Crew
Director - Brian Helgeland
Writer - Brian Helgeland
Producer - Brian Helgeland
Producer - Todd Black
Producer - Tim Van Rellim
Original Music - Carter Burwell
Cinematography - Richard Greatrex
Film Editing - Kevin Stitt
Casting - Francine Maisler