A Knight's Tale

Sales Rank: 282059
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There's no rule against rock anthems from the 1970s in the soundtrack for a movie about a medieval jousting champion, but if you're going to attempt such jarring anachronisms, you'd better establish acceptable ground rules. Writer-director Brian Helgeland does precisely that in A Knight's Tale and pulls off this trick with such giddy aplomb that you can't help but play along. (Upon witnessing a crowd of peasants at a jousting match, singing and clapping to the beat of Queen's "We Will Rock You," you're either going to love this movie or dismiss it altogether.) Other vintage rock hits will follow, but Helgeland--the Oscar-winning cowriter of L.A. Confidential--handles this ploy with judicious goodwill, in what is an otherwise honest period piece about a peasant named William (Heath Ledger) who rises by grit and determination to the hallowed status of knighthood. As if the soundtrack weren't audacious enough, Helgeland (recovering from the sour experience of his directorial debut, Payback) casts none other than Geoffrey Chaucer (wonderfully played by Paul Bettany) as William's cohort and match announcer, along with William's pals Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk), and feisty blacksmith Kate (Laura Fraser). Of course there must be a fair maiden, and she is Jocelyn (newcomer Shannyn Sossamon), with whom William falls in love while battling the nefarious Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) on the European jousting circuit. Add to this an inspiring father-son reunion, Ledger's undeniable charisma, a perfect supporting cast, and enough joyful energy to rejuvenate the film's formulaic plot, and A Knight's Tale becomes that most pleasant of movie surprises--an unlikely winner that rises up, like its hero, to exceed all expectations. --Jeff Shannon

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Amazon.com
There's no rule against rock anthems from the 1970s in the soundtrack for a movie about a medieval jousting champion, but if you're going to attempt such jarring anachronisms, you'd better establish acceptable ground rules. Writer-director Brian Helgeland does precisely that in A Knight's Tale and pulls off this trick with such giddy aplomb that you can't help but play along. (Upon witnessing a crowd of peasants at a jousting match, singing and clapping to the beat of Queen's "We Will Rock You," you're either going to love this movie or dismiss it altogether.) Other vintage rock hits will follow, but Helgeland--the Oscar-winning cowriter of L.A. Confidential--handles this ploy with judicious goodwill, in what is an otherwise honest period piece about a peasant named William (Heath Ledger) who rises by grit and determination to the hallowed status of knighthood. As if the soundtrack weren't audacious enough, Helgeland (recovering from the sour experience of his directorial debut, Payback) casts none other than Geoffrey Chaucer (wonderfully played by Paul Bettany) as William's cohort and match announcer, along with William's pals Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk), and feisty blacksmith Kate (Laura Fraser). Of course there must be a fair maiden, and she is Jocelyn (newcomer Shannyn Sossamon), with whom William falls in love while battling the nefarious Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) on the European jousting circuit. Add to this an inspiring father-son reunion, Ledger's undeniable charisma, a perfect supporting cast, and enough joyful energy to rejuvenate the film's formulaic plot, and A Knight's Tale becomes that most pleasant of movie surprises--an unlikely winner that rises up, like its hero, to exceed all expectations. --Jeff Shannon

A Knight's Tale Facebook A Knight's Tale. 27,546 likes 81 talking about this. ... To connect with A Knight's Tale, sign up for Facebook today. A Knight's Tale - YouTube This crowd-pleasing medieval adventure tale is very loosely inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and mixes the anachronistic elements of modern-day ... A Knight's Tale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A Knight's Tale is a 2001 romantic adventure comedy film written, directed, and produced by Brian Helgeland. The film stars Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy ... The Knight's Tale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "The Knight's Tale" is the first tale from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. The story introduces many typical aspects of knighthood such as courtly love and ... A Knight's Tale (2001) - IMDb Director: Brian Helgeland. Actors: Heath Ledger: William Thatcher Rufus Sewell: Count Adhemar Shannyn Sossamon: Jocelyn Paul Bettany: Geoffrey Chaucer ... Amazon.com: A Knight's Tale (Special Edition): Heath Ledger, Mark ... There's no rule against rock anthems from the 1970s in the soundtrack for a movie about a medieval jousting champion, but if you're going to attempt such jarring ... A Knight's Tale Synopsis - Plot Summary - Fandango.com This crowd-pleasing medieval adventure tale is very loosely inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer 's The Canterbury Tales and mixes the anachronistic elements of modern-day ... A Knight s Tale Trailer and Cast - Yahoo! Movies When his master dies unexpectedly, Medieval squire William Thatcher decides to try his luck at jousting. Lacking an acceptable pedigree, he enlists the help of his ... Amazon.com: A Knight's Tale: Music Writer-director Brian Helgeland dared to use rock music--mostly anthems from the '70s--to accompany his rousing tale of a medieval jousting champion, and this ... A Knight's Tale (2001) - Full cast and crew Director: Brian Helgeland. Produced by Todd Black, Brian Helgeland, Tim Van Rellim. Actors: Heath Ledger: William Thatcher Rufus Sewell: Count Adhemar Shannyn ...