A Knight’s Tale, 2001.
Directed by Brian Helgeland.
Starring Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Alan Tudyk, Paul Bettany and James Purefoy .
SYNOPSIS:
After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.
Everyone has watched the odd cheesy B-movie once or twice, some preferring them to the AAA Hollywood blockbusters, so I feel justified that I took time out of watching the likes of Mr. Nobody and the Marvel films to watch this medieval-set adventure rom-com. The fact that I genuinely enjoy it and have done since I was a teenager is a rather embarrassing fact to admit, but one I’m comfortable admitting to the world.
A Knight’s Tale is set in the 14th century, jousting competitions and banquets being the backdrop for one man’s quest to become better than his blood would allow. Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, The Patriot) plays the lead William Thatcher, who upon discovering his master has died, takes his armour and begins entering jousting competitions not for the money or food, but for the recognition and respect that winning brings him.
The film features Alan Tudyk (Firefly, I, Robot) as Wat and Mark Addy (Game of Thrones, The Full Monty) as Roland, his two faithful and loyal friends – Wat being the over-aggressive, angry young man that threatens and fights anyone over the slightest thing, and Roland being the sensible, forward thinking companion to counteract the impulsiveness of both Wat and Thatcher.
Paul Bettany plays Geoffrey Chaucer – an obvious nod to the notable poet and storyteller of the same time, a lot of his work being referenced in the film – who acts as Thatcher’s herald, riling up the crowd before each round. This brings some amusing moments to the film, with (in my opinion) Bettany’s character being the most entertaining of the film, especially with his love/hate relationship with Tudyk’s Wat. Upon running into the group on a dirt road, Chaucer wins his place within the group by offering to fabricate patents of nobility, giving credence to Thatcher’s fake identity, allowing him to compete.
The group travel around France entering a large amount of jousting competitions, which for the purposes of the story, William ends up winning, although his training is minimal compared to that of the seasoned years-long participants. His winning means nothing though, not until he beats Count Adhemar, the unlikeable villain played by Rufus Sewell. Considered the best jouster in the realm, never having lost, Thatcher doesn’t see himself as worthy of the trophies or plaudits before beating him. Of course Adhemar has no limits to what he’ll do to win, including blatant cheating and mind games, although what else would you expect from a movie villain?
The love interest for Thatcher is Jocelyn, played by the beautiful Shannyn Sossaman (40 Days and 40 Nights) – the relationship between the two being the underpinning to move everything forward, as much as Thatcher’s obsession with beating Adhemar, if not more.
Interestingly enough the film manages to blend several modern themes within the medieval setting; for example, the film opens with a jousting match, the crowd clapping and chanting along to Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’. It doesn’t feel out of place and it does a good job of getting the viewer amped up.
Another scene with a postmodern approach is the banquet. Adhemar attempts to humiliate Thatcher by asking him to show them all a dance from his home-country, and whilst Thatcher struggles to make something up on the spot – his home country obviously being fake – with the help of Jocelyn he turns the banquet hall into a modern day disco, with the women gyrating to the beats of ‘Golden Years’, while still maintaining the order and form the dancing back then was known for.
Whilst the plot isn’t too difficult to unravel and predict (and as with all films of this genre, the story will only end in one way) it’s still an enjoyable journey filled with laughs and twist and turns, not to mention the film instills a sense of inspiration and willingness to better oneself, or as the film puts it ‘to change the stars’, but that could just be my soppy, almost girl-like side coming out to the fore.
A Knight’s Tale is worth a watch if you want something easy going and a little bit cheesy to watch, and an enjoyable journey to behold, in my opinion. It doesn’t do anything new with regards to cinema, and it’s not a five star film by any stretch, but it doesn’t pretend to be. At the very least, you won’t groan so much if your girlfriend makes you watch this film compared to some others.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Luke Addison is an aspiring film journalist with a passion for all things television and film. Follow him on Twitter @Novo_Slev.
Originally published April 3, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
