A Knight's Tale Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
From peasant to knight; one man can change his stars
He Will Rock You
He didn't make the rules. He was born to break them.
Inspired by "The Canterbury Tales," as well as the story of Ulrich von Lichtenstein, this is the story of William, a young squire with a gift for jousting. After his master dies suddenly, the squire hits the road with his cohorts Roland and Wat. On the journey, they stumble across an unknown writer, Chaucer. William, lacking a proper pedigree, convinces Chaucer to forge genealogy documents that will pass him off as a knight. With his newly-minted history in hand, the young man sets out to prove himself a worthy knight at the country's jousting competition, and finds romance along the way.
| Shannyn Sossamon | Lady Jocelyn |
| Rufus Sewell | Count Adhemar of Anjou |
| Paul Bettany | Geoffrey Chaucer |
| Heath Ledger | Sir William Thatcher/Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein of Gelderland |
| Laura Fraser | Kate the Farrier |
| Mark Addy | Roland |
| Alan Tudyk | Wat Falhurst |
| Bérénice Bejo | Christiana |
| Scott Handy | Germaine |
| James Purefoy | Sir Thomas Colville/Edward, the Black Prince of Wales |
| Leagh Conwell | Young William Thacher |
| Christopher Cazenove | John Thatcher |
| Steve O'Donnell | Simon, the Summoner of Rouen |
| Jonathan Slinger | Peter, the Pardoner of Rouen |
| Nick Brimble | Sir Ector |
| Brian Helgeland |
6.40 out of 10 (23649 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Light-hearted tale of a knight
posted on 24 Aug 2009A Knight's Tale is a great semi-action movie. Basically, it's a story of a commoner (Heath Ledger) who wants to be a knight to compete in tournaments.
Although the action is greatly toned-down for younger audiences, it's a solid film with a great modern soundtrack. However, I felt they're were way too many jokes in the movie. For instance, in almost every scene, there is some kind of pun. Having said that, it's still a lot more entertaining & interesting than most of the poor movies that have been out lately (Freddy/Town & Country). I recommend purchasing this on VHS/DVD.
a sheer joy - shame about the romance!
posted on 22 Aug 2009What a relief! A film that delivers exactly what it promises - a sweet, hilarious romp featuring a truly fantastic cast (top marks to the incredible Paul Bettany), a simple and straightforward yet exciting plot and it *looks* gorgeous!!The modern soundtrack and other anachronistic touches really work, so ignore any reviews that say the film is unrealistic because that's entirely missing the point. It's harmless, wonderful fun and it isn't trying to be anything it's not, so it can't disappoint (what a relief after all those mediocre summer blockbusters!).My only problem is the romance part which is very badly-drawn and seems to have no rhyme or reason to it. Why does Heath love the princess when she's such a bitch to him? And how come we're supposed to like her when the blacksmith girl is so much nicer and more beautiful? If *she* wasn't supposed to be an alternative love interest, why did they cast someone so gorgeous? However, it's easy to ignore this element and just enjoy the sets, the costumes, the acting, the dialogue, the action (guilt-free violence, hurrah!), the music, hey, in fact every other element of a brilliant film!8 and a half out of 10
A movie that makes you feel good
posted on 22 Aug 2009My english is not very good... sorry. It has been a while since I felt this way about a movie. I just loved it! The story is good, the cast is wonderful and what about the music! WOW! I liked the fact that every character is equaly important, we could feel the chemistry between them and I liked it a lot. I always loved movies about knights and I was well served. I'm not a teenager (I'm 36) and I just had to see it over and over again ( about 8 times...)I talked about it to my friends and they all loved it . I can't wait to buy the video! Well that's about it for my fisrt review, thanks!
If you want scholarly look elsewhere
posted on 16 Aug 2009I kind of knew I would like this when I read the reviews when It came out. I studied medieval literature at University and this could have been very bad, but the outcome is amusing. Of course, if you want scholarly look elsewhere, but the whole creative anachronism works quite well.The medieval bit is very good and would probably be very boring to most modern tastes. The addition of anachronisms makes this very funny.I am not sure how anachronistic this all is as women were somewhat equal due to necessity (e.g., the woman blacksmith).Whatever, enjoy and don't think too much.
Once Upon A Time...
posted on 12 Aug 2009... there's a movie which is 'cult material'. "A Knight's Tale" is one of them. Take what makes grand medieval adventure, such as tournaments, knights, honour, a lady's love, and add a good dose of Queen, Bowie, some other good 70's classics, and make the hero a hero of the people. It works."A Knight's Tale" has action, romance, and yet is weird enough to entertain everybody who's not too fond of the usual knight-in-shining-armour flicks. Speaking of shining... Helgeland's directing definitely is, cinematography is breathtaking at times, and so is the acting! Go watch!!
A modern musical twist to a not so historically correct medieval tale.
posted on 02 Aug 2009Although the first few minutes of this film had me wondering if we had made a mistake in going to see this film, the remainder of the movie was truly entertaining. The opening scene where they show the medieval spectators pounding, clapping and even singing along to Queen's song "We Will Rock You" leaves one with the feeling that the movie is going to be a farcical display at best. To my great relief this movie turned out to be one of the best as far as sheer joy to watch that I have seen for a while. A humorous intense action filled journey of a young mans drive to become what he knows he can be, his trio of hilarious companions, a romantic interest and a villainous Knight make this a captivating tale. Well worth the price of a ticket. Enjoy!
A new spin on the medieval knights theme
posted on 25 Jul 2009A couple of hours of knockabout fun that doesn't take itself too seriously - medieval knights jousting to Queen and Bowie - rock on! There's enough excellent one-liners to keep the laughs flowing and the action makes it a good fun movie for most of the family. (Don't miss the hilarious extra scene when the credits have finished!)
A very fun film!
posted on 17 Jul 2009If you go to this movie expecting a masterpiece, than be prepared to be dissappointed, but if you go (as I did) to have fun and enjoy pure escapism, than prepare to be delighted!!! This is a very fun film that pulls out the laughs one after another and actually gets you involved in the plot! The usual expected plot twists are there and a lot of the movies is really predictable, but it's still a great time if you have a free night and need something to watch. The characters and the actors who portray them really get you involved in the flow of the story and you can't help but like them. As they say, "I laughed, I cried", that ACTUALLY happened to a friend I took with me to the advanced screening (done by Solomon-Friedman Advertising). This is a great film for those who just wanna have fun and see a delightful film! As the commercial trailer says, "Purists beware!". C Ya At The Theatres-Robb-PS-->the modern music does blend nicely except in the case of "The Boys Are Back In Town", that was just a little too cheesy for me
I'm pretty sure they weren't singing "We Will Rock You" in the middle ages. But hey, what the heck!
posted on 17 Jul 2009********* This May Contain Some Spoilers**************** The first 5 minutes of the movie were a little bit of a turn off for me. I also got a little confused when I heard the infamous STOMP STOMP CLAP of Queen's " We Will Rock You", but then Iactually started to really enjoy it. Everyone gives great performances in the movie, and the fighting and jousting scenes are spectacular. I'm not really a Heath Ledger fan, but he did do exceptionally well in this movie. Plus I also love the scenery and the costumes. The climatic battle at the end of the movie between Heath Ledger and Rufus Sewell will have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails. I'd say this is a good way to spend 2 hours and 10 minutes of your life.
A wonderful breath of fresh air!
posted on 15 Jul 2009Thank you so much for such a delightful movie. It was so much fun to watch and I never get tired of seeing it. The cast is remarkable and I can't believe more of a fuss wasn't made over this movie when it came out. The story line was so refreshing and as a parent of teens, I appreciate the extremely mild language and the fact that there are no true sex scenes. It just goes to prove that you can make a great movie without every other word being obscene! I'm sure we'll be seeing more of the cast members (soon I hope!)as they really brought this movie to life. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about the modern music being used as more than just background music but after watching the movie 3 times, I think it actually makes the movie more fun and easier to place yourself in that time period. You end up cheering out loud for your favorite knight! This one gets a BIG thumbs up! *****+
"We will, we will rock you!...."
posted on 29 Jun 2009Finally, a decent film to enjoy over the summer! 'A Knights Tale' is basically just a big barrel of fun. Purposley half modern, half costume drama/comedy it is never anything less than entertaining. Heath Ledger and Rufus Sewell are brilliant, and the soundtrack rocks! A great film that is refreshing after all the drival that came out recently.
Excellent for what it was
posted on 09 Jun 2009Now before I start, I know this movie is no masterpiece. However, I believe it is very entertaining and accomplished what it set out to accomplish. Not that any movie where Heath Ledger looked like that could be bad, of course. The movie was not trying to be a serious drama. It was, again, very entertaining and a movie one could watch over and over. I must say, some parts were slightly hokey, but I suppose when one is making that type of movie that is unavoidable. The acting was fair enough and some of the characters were colorful and fun to watch. Overall, this was a good movie that if not taken simply could easily entertain you.
A refreshing medieval adventure.
posted on 22 May 2009To tell you the truth, the first time I saw the trailer; I wondered how good a medieval movie who used "We Will Rock You." in the trailer could be. And when I saw that they did use that very same song in the first moments of the movie and people actually reacted to the song as if they heard it and everything was cool; I was even more curious... would that movie be some sort of idiotic comedy? Quite fortunately, it wasn't. Although it's true that certain musical and not-so-musical anachronisms are present in the movie, they were placed there on purpose to lighten un the flick and, probably, attract or please a younger crowd. Whatever the reason for their existence in the movie, the ambiance they create sorta grows on you and soon, you can't help it, but to like those and the sometimes cheesy humor. The characters are attaching: Shannyn Sossamon was great in her first movie and Paul Bettany played his role very well. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and I recommend it to anyone who's ever been a fan of medieval and knight movies as well as people who like simple adventures with a twist of romance.
Runs rings around "Moulin Rouge"
posted on 16 May 2009If it makes sense to nominate "Moulin Rouge" for Best Picture (N.B. - it doesn't), it makes more sense to nominate this. Both films baited their hooks with anachronisms, "Moulin Rouge" luring in audiences by offering a nineteenth-century courtesan singing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", "A Knight's Tale" offering us the crowd at a mediaevel joust chanting Queen's "We Will Rock You". What's the difference?Well, suppose that the twentieth century had gone entirely differently, and that NO new musical styles had been developed after 1900. The stadium rock standards of "A Knight's Tale" would STILL make sense in context. A mediaeval joust (or at least a mediaeval joust as convincingly portrayed here) turns out to be just the sort of occasion "We Will Rock You" was designed for; when we try out a cultural artefact of the 20th century in an older context, we're pleased by how well it fits. Whereas "Moulin Rouge" merely asks us to take a smug pleasure in recognising familiar songs. It's clear enough with the "Sound of Music" quotes: once we've noticed that a character in 1890 is singing something that was first heard in 1959, and we've had our hollow little chuckle, the song's purpose is finished, and it's time to move on."A Knight's Tale" establishes its mediaevel setting firmly in the prologue (the bit just before we hear "We Will Rock" you) and is true to it throughout. Anachronisms are used to sustain the spell, not for the cheap shock value of temporarily breaking it. (Except perhaps once or twice, perhaps by accident, and we can forgive such lapses in a film that is otherwise so sure footed.) It seems only fitting that Chaucer's way with words manifests itself in an ability to rabble-rouse with phrases like "Heeeere's Ulric", or that Jocelyn is done up like she's attending the Melbourne Cup. (Partly this is to the credit of the cast: the actors, excluding the women, who aren't asked to do much anyway, are all marvellous, striking the right tone with unerring accuracy again and again.) A hundred anachronisms, when they're as tasteful and clever as these turn out to be in context, can't prevent this world from feeling less real: the mud really cakes, the lances really splinter and injure people, the armour really clangs, and hunger really is something to worry about.Both "Moulin Rouge" and "A Knight's Tale" take a basic story that became old hat long ago, but only the latter film succeeds in making its story fresh - fresh in every single scene. "Moulin Rouge" merely tries to tart its old story up. It applies layers of make-up on it, sets of headache-inducing fireworks around it, without once succeeding in bringing it to life. "A Knight's Tale" brings the old formula about sporting underdogs to life by believing in it. It's as simple as that.Did I mention that "A Knight's Tale" is one of the most thoroughly entertaining films of the last few years? No, because I feared I would be misunderstood. In general people call a film "entertaining" when it isn't really, but they want us to forgive the fact that it's mindless rubbish. "A Knight's Tale" really IS entertaining, and there's nothing to forgive.
Great Entertainment!!!!
posted on 12 May 2009This movie mixes the old with some funny new things. It also proves that knighthood is not something you are born into..but it is born into you. It has alot of fun...and some heart string tugs too. It is great for all to watch...lots of laughs and even alittle bit of tears.
I'm SO HAPPY I didn't walk out...
posted on 04 May 2009I'm So HAPPY I didn't walk out after the first 15 minutes like I had wanted to.I felt for sure I was destined to endure the worst theatrical release in years...but the warm popcorn kept me sitting a bit longer...long enough to realize that I was watching one of the BEST and entertaining movies in years!The tongue and cheek humor was reminiscent of the type of humor we knew during the Hercules TV series with Kevin Sorbo, but to a higher degree and more effective as well.Once I settled in and found myself absorbed by this off-kilter movie, I looked around and saw kids and their grandparents laughing as well as rooting for our heros!Then it dawned upon me that not only was this movie able to pull off a brilliant performance by the performers who looked like they were having as much fun as we were..but they did it without ONE foul/obscene word or hint of nudity.I personally have rarely purchased a video of a movie, because the concept of watching it more than once doesn't appeal to me. However, I'll definitly get this when it hits DVD so I can watch it and look for the jokes and sight gags I missed the first time around!Kudos Mr Helgeland!
Meet the new Errol Flynn
posted on 14 Apr 2009I took note of Heath Ledger the first time in the amusing Shakespeare take-off 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU. In KNIGHT'S TALE, he shows he has the sexy swashbuckle of Errol Flynn -- although we hope he comes to a better end personally.Medieval jousting meets rock music, ROCKY, the World Wrestling Federation, the TONIGHT show, and ROBIN HOOD. The outlandish premise of the film really works because of engaging characters, appealing cast, and a well-constructed story. The medieval world merges with modern democracy, and Geoffrey Chaucer himself provides the intros.Yes, there is even crucifixion imagery (done much better than in box-office rival PEARL HARBOR) and the bad guy wears black armor. Now when was the last time you saw that in a big stereophonic movie with lots of FX? The film manages to be both sweetly touching and lots of fun at the same time. Don't miss this adventure -- and the chance to see Heath Ledger in the movie that makes him truly a star!
Jousting With A Modern Take
posted on 26 Aug 2009A story about jousting but this old knight's tale is anything but old because it mixes in satire of today's modern sports-audience age with some funny bits. Those include the overly dramatic public address announcer (boy, that's even more so since this film came out), rock music blaring out as the contestants do battle, etc.The main characters are nicely varied with distinct personalities. Shannon Sossamon, however, was not quite up to leading-lady status and hasn't had a choice role like this since, either. I would have rather seen her "assistant" in this film, or the blacksmith woman, be the lead. Anyway, even though it's a bit long at 132 minutes, it's still entertaining most of the way, with some of the funniest bits at the beginning. However, it's just as much a romance (with Heath Ledger as the male lead) than a comedy.What also is good is the sound and visuals in here: all high-class. The lance hitting an opponent made an interesting sound each time. The surround sound in here was good, too. As entertaining and slick-looking as this was, I didn't find myself caring if I saw this twice, frankly, which I why I didn't rate it higher than '7' stars. However, it's a film most people would like, and I recommend seeing it.