Apologies for the lack of opinions lately. I've been on holiday and had a spot of writers block. I'm...
Apologies for the lack of opinions lately. I've been on holiday and had a spot of writers block. I'm not entirely happy about the new scheme for rewards, but I should still be writing again soon. :)
Member since:13.01.2001
Reviews:70
Members who trust:60
*ALTHOUGH ITS A PREDICTABLE STORY, YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW THAT I DO GIVE AWAY MAJOR PLOT DETAILS IN THIS OPINION*
With the help of his companions Wat, Roland, Kate and real life famous playwright and gambler Geoffrey Chaucer, a peasant squire by the name of Will Thatcher, disguises himself as a knight of noble blood, hoping to fulfil his life long dream. Entering tournaments all over France, he meets and falls in love with Lady Jocelyn and makes an enemy of her potential suitor and jousting champion – Count Adhemar. Will fast gains fame and fortune, in a similar style to football heroes of the modern day, but whether he’ll be able to convince Jocelyn of his love and to hide his true identity is another question.
You must have seen the adverts with a crowd at a jousting tournament clapping in time with Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’. Equally memorable are the medieval-costumed cast jiving to the ‘The Golden Years’ and one of the funniest lines in the film is Wat’s sarcastic ‘Hello!’ Throughout the film there are more scenes of medieval Europe combined with 20th Century rock music and modern slang.
Scenes like this are both ironic and surreal, but ultimately, very effective: a lot of laughs were raised from the ‘Nike’ symbol imprinted on Will’s armour and the jousting being treated as a football game or wrestling match complete with Mexican wave, face paint and flags.
Heath Ledger (10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot) has the look of an Australian blonde surfer type, but hey, I’m not complaining. One glance at those smouldering eyes and I’m hooked. Really though, he's a very talented actor and is superb as the hero of the piece. Shannyn Sossamon (Jocelyn) is the intended eye candy for the gentlemen, but I prefer Laura Fraser (Virtual Sexuality, Kevin and Perry Go Large) as Kate for performance.
Rufus Sewell shows he’s got an evil streak for his very convincing role as villain Count Adhemar and Mark Addy (The Full Monty), Paul Bethany (The Suicide Club) and Alan Tudyk (28 Days, Wonder Boys) are all extremely funny as Will’s friends and sidekicks.
There were two things I loved about A Knights Tale. Firstly, it’s hilarious. As well as the visual gags previously mentioned, tongue-in-cheek humour and expressions conveyed by certain actors had me laughing out loud. Secondly, the spectacular jousting scenes. Not only are they gruesome and bloody (to an extent where I almost felt it should have a 12 and not a PG rating), they’re also very well filmed and edited. Director Brian Helgeland (writer and producer of LA Confidential) certainly deserves a mention as a stand-out member of the team.
And whilst the story is old-fashioned and predictable (and very loosely based on ‘The Canterbury Tales’), when Will defeats Adhenar you can’t help feeling exhilarated by the whole thing.
My one problem was that the film is rather sentimental. Will’s romantic letter to Jocelyn and his tear-jerking reunion with his blind father (Christopher Cazenove) are just a few examples when it makes a serious attempt to be thought-provoking and meaningful and instead becomes drippy and laughable. This may appeal to some audiences and it probably better suited to the family, but my opinion is that the sentimentality of the film is its downfall. It even has a happy ending, when I feel a death would have been much more dramatic and appropriate.
A Knights Tale is a contemporary movie with a historical setting, with cleaver use of music and many edge-of-your-seat moments. It’s unpretentious, rip roaring entertainment with something for everyone and definitely a must-see this autumn.
Production Year: 2008 - Action/Adventure - Director: Christopher Nolan - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Such a great film and a good review. I'd always been a fan of David Bowie so when I saw Heath Ledger mime 'Angel' in the dance scene...Golden Years is one of my favourite songs :)
Mickie26 18.03.2004 18:42
I know you say it's a definately must see, but I don't fancy it. Great review though you capture a lot of the film details.
There's no rule against rock anthems from the 1970s in the soundtrack for a movie about a ... more
medieval jousting champion, but if you're going to attempt such jarring anachronisms, you'd better establish acceptable ground rules. Writer-director Brian Helgel...
Postage & Packaging: £1.24 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: Temporarily out of stock - This item will be dispatched as soon as it arrives - We cannot guarantee Christmas delivery...
The 14th Century takes on a new look in A KNIGHT'S TALE.Heath Ledger is William Thatcher, ... more
a peasant squire who breaks all the rules when he passes himself off as a knight and takes the jousting world by storm. The only thing that stands between William...
![A Knight's Tale [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78527850.jpg "A Knight's Tale [DVD] [2001]")
very helpful by (100%):
