Review of A Knight's Tale (2001) by John E — 05 Aug 2011

A Knight's Tale is the false ascent of a peasant to the ranks of a knight, which he attains through the competition of jousting. Though he is a great triumph of a competitor, he must still be of royal blood to compete, which he is not. Finding love and his way to the World Championships, he strives to change his status and make his mark on the world. The acting in the film was good as was the direction, but the script was a little off. Even with this it still made for a pretty decent view for the audience.

The direction by Brian Helgeland (Payback) was decent. He was able to put the right actors in the right roles for their respective duties which helped to make the most of that portion of the film. But it seemed there was something missing during the film. Some quality that was absent in the making of the film that could have made it better. It just felt like some portions of the film were rushed and that it could have been of a higher quality in some parts of the film if this had not happened.

The script, also by Brian Helgeland, was alright but it was nothing to brag about. It was the same generic storyline plots with the same storybook ending. The only difference this time was that it was set in medieval times. This is somewhat of a disappointment because of the quality that usually comes with this man's name. Without that quality, it just fails to live up to the standards that his fans are normally accustomed to. Now do not misunderstand me, this was an entertaining film nonetheless, I just wish there was a way that it could have been less generic.

The acting was actually quite good. Heath Ledger (Monster's Ball) did a very good job as the charming hero of the people. He seemed to fit the role very well and did an admirable job creating a good feel about the cast that surrounded him. Mark Addy (Down To Earth) did a very good job as the main supporter of Ledger and fit the role very well. He also provided some comedic relief which was more his style but did very well in some dramatic portions as well. The Shannyn Sossaman (film debut) did a good job as the heroine that catches Ledger's eye. She fit the role well but it would have been nice to see her have larger challenging role where it wasn't just her looks that kept the viewer entertained, but her talent which she looks to have an abundance of. The remaining cast including Paul Bettany (Gangster No. 1), Alan Tudyk (Wonder Boys), and Rufus Sewell (Bless the Child) all did very well to complement the film's atmosphere and portrayed their characters with very good ability. The chemistry upon the screen was god although it seemed like they had more fun making the film that might have hindered the overall quality, but it was still entertaining nonetheless.

A Knight's Tale is a film that is of the typical underdog genre. Though the acting was good and the direction was not bad either, the script left more to be desired. Despite it still being entertaining film, I believe that it could have been much better than it was and feel this is the fault of the script. If it had brought forth the same quality that the writer had previously in his career, then I don't think that these comments would have been made. But still despite this fact, it is worth the time of a look as it will probably please most of the audience, but not all because of its generic nature.