Review of A Knight's Tale (2001) by Melvin W — 11 Nov 2011

Prince Edward: Your men love you. If I knew nothing else about you, that would be enough. .

"He didn't make the rules. He was born to break them.".

A Knight's Tale is a cool and fun ride through the Medieval time period with a classic rock soundtrack. I honestly fell in love with this movie right away because of the first jousting scene that was set to "We Will Rock You." The film also features two acting rockstars in Heath Ledger and Paul Bettany. Ledger is the huge name and Bettany is just about as cool as actors come. Neither disappoint and they make movie even more fun then the already fun premise.

William is a peasant who has always aspired to be more, preferably a Knight. It is just too bad that a knight most come from noble descent. So how do you get around that? Well, you lie, and that's just what he and his fellow squires do, with help from a roaming gambler who has literally had the clothes taken from his back. Among the journey from squire to knight, William competes in tournaments, falls in love with a beautiful woman played by Shannyon Sossamon and obtains a rival. The story line is pretty predictable along the way, but never in a boring, who cares I have seen it before, kind of way.

I like the fact that a jousting, Medieval film was made in a way that made it feel like it could be happening now and not hundreds of years ago. The movie was made to have fun with, not to be taken seriously. I think the crowd stomping and clapping to a song that doesn't come into existence for centuries is a good indication of that. Fun is what this movie is. It never lags for the entire two hour plus runtime and is always fast paced, humorous and at times touching entertainment. .

I really do love A Knight's Tale. Nothing can really compare to Paul Bettany and his introductions/pump ups. Also the jousting scenes are incredibly well done and the movie features the sexy Shannyn Sossamon. This is one of those movies that when I see it is on television, I just can't pass it up.