A Knight’s Tale
Synopsis: Heath Ledger is William Thatcher, a peasant squire who breaks all the rules when he passes himself off as a nobleman and takes the jousting world by storm. The only thing that stands between William and his dream of becoming the world champion of the extremest of sports is the bad boy of the sport Count Adhemar. And when the two rivals go lance to head at the world finals to determine who will be named the ultimate champion, you better arm yourself and hang on tight for the thrill ride of your life!
Rating: PG-13.
Run Time: 132 min
Director: Brian Helgeland
DVD Extra’s: Commentary, Behind the Scenes, Deleted Scenes, Music Video, Trailer, Production Notes.
Nudity Factor: Paul Bettany loses his clothes gambling several times in the movie and you see his bare bottom in those instances.
Of Note: Director Brian Helgeland once said in an interview that he used modern music in the movie to show modern audiences what people then felt about their music. When true Renaissance music is used in modern movies, it fails to convey the emotional response that people back then had to such music.
Recommendations: 13th Warrior
I found this movie to be very fun. It is filmed in a way we just don’t see anymore. It has some actual sets and then fills them with people to make it seem alive. The story follows a thatcher’s son who is given over to a new master to hopefully one day become something. That is all going well until the new master dies on his way to a jousting competition. This leaves his three squires with nothing but the old warrior’s armor. One of them has the brilliant idea to put the armor and pretend to be the knight. This is where the story really takes off, as he must figure out how to get good at it and also keep his identity hidden. The biggest complaint I have seen about this film is it uses modern music. The director has explained this as he wanted the audience to identify with the music in the same way as those from the era this film was set in would have to the music that would have been around at that time.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I liked the way it was filmed, the way it develops, and how the characters really seem to embrace the roles. It all just comes together. If you are looking for a movie that is just fun to watch then this one is a good one to pull out and watch.