During Christmas 2004, as my wife and I exchanged gifts in the midst of other family members, a hardy laugh was had by all who were present as each of us opened separate DVDs which we handed to each other. As we simultaneously opened these gifts to each other, it became apparent that our tastes in movies were quite similar; each had given the other a copy of 2001's A Knight's Tale, starring Keath Ledger. The movie has since become one of our all-time favorites, and for good reason.
A Knight's Tale is a unique telling of a story about the son of a thatcher in 14th-century Europe who, despite his poor upbringing in "cheap side" London, was determined to one day make something of himself. With the blessing of his father and the aid of a knight, young William Thatcher left London as one of the knight's squires, with the intention of "changing his stars" (his fate).
Years later, William and the knight's other squires, Wat (Alan Tudyk) and Roland (Mark Addy), discover that the poor knight has died a rather untimely death just a few minutes before he was scheduled to joust in a tournament. Because that knight's success in the tournament was the three squires' ticket to their next meal, the trio found themselves in a rather difficult situation. Not wanting to starve to death, William enters the tournament in the knight's name (disguised by the knight's armor and helmet) and manages to win enough money for the group that they could live on for a while longer.
Not content to settle for less, however, William convinces Wat and Roland to help him train for and enter more tournaments, intent on rising in the ranks and one day becoming a true champion, forever changing his fate as a peasant. Naturally, the journey won't be simple; William will encounter a lovely young lady (Shannyn Sossamon) who he just has to be with, an arch nemesis (Rufus Sewell) who is also fighting for the lady's attention, and even the legendary author Geoffrey Chaucer himself (Paul Bettany). The story from there is more or less typical of a comedy/romance, though the movie's setting (14th-century Europe) allows for some interesting twists and circumstances. For starters, the protagonist's profession – professional jouster in a medieval tournament – isn't one that, to my knowledge, had ever been explored in a movie and hasn't really been explored since. In fact, few movies have ever really put such an emphasis on jousting as A Knight's Tale, and the sport definitely makes for some interesting situations and some stellar, if unconventional, action scenes.
Perhaps the movie's biggest twist, however, is the one that is also the most controversial. Author/director Brian Helgeland chose to turn A Knight's Tale in to a sort of "contemporary medieval" movie, which to his credit I believe he did very well. Despite the emphasis on sword fighting, jousting, royalty and peasantry, the movie feels very modern, thanks to the inclusion of giant grandstands for the audience of the tournaments, who have a habit of doing "the wave" and pounding on banisters to the tune of Queen's "We Will Rock You".
"Wait, what?"
It doesn't just stop at the inclusion of Arena Rock, oh no. In A Knight's Tale, William's page serves not only as the person who announces his heraldry, but also as a sort of Don King-esque sports promoter, food vendors try to sell a medieval spin on peanuts and hot dogs to the crowds, and the characters' wardrobes are decidedly more modern than period. It's this blend of anachronistic setting and contemporary flair that give A Knight's Tale its very unique, and hotly contested, flavor.
I will be honest and admit that, when I first saw this movie, I was the guy in the audience who was up in arms about hearing "We Will Rock You" during the build up to the first joust scene, but later, and upon further reflection, it really did seem to fit and to give the movie a unique feeling. It helps that the special features included with the DVD do a lot to explain just what the authors were thinking when they chose to mix the medieval and the modern. Many a nay-sayer complains about how the movie is historically inaccurate, but – as anyone who has watched the special features can tell you – historical accuracy wasn't the goal of the writer in the first place.
It is unfortunate that so many people will write this movie off as a rude attempt at bringing medieval jousting to the big screen, because once you put the initial impression aside, A Knight's Tale is actually an amazingly well-told story. Each actor and actress does a superb job at delivering his/her lines, the special effects are quite good (there's nothing like watching lance after lance shatter and splinter in to a bazillion pieces!), and the characters are genuinely interesting.
I believe something also must be said for a movie which, no matter how many times I watch it, is able to make me a bit teary-eyed. I'm not too macho to admit that the occasional movie can make me wet around the eyes, and A Knight's Tale manages to do it every time, despite the fact that – unlike my first viewing of the movie – I now know what's coming. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that it is a testament to great acting and absolutely brilliant story writing and delivery. The whole movie does a wonderful job of building up climatic moments and then delivering them with all of the emotion that one might expect.
I could easily recommend A Knight's Tale to anyone who is looking for a good, genuinely entertaining action/comedy/romance. Provided you aren't too much of a purist to overlook (and preferably enjoy) the historical inaccuracies and contemporary feel to a medieval setting (and hey, I used to be one of those purists, myself), you will likely find the quality of this movie to impress you.
A Knight's Tale is a movie which I will always return to, no matter how many times I watch it. It's definitely one to buy and hang on to for a long time.
