Rating: PG13
Genre:
Action
Theatrical Release: 05/11/2001(USA),
Release Date: 01/06/2009
Run Time: 132 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Nudity, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Suitable for Teens, Violence, Nudity, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Suitable for Teens
Distributor/Studio: Sony Pictures
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
rock music and colloquialisms with a period setting and characters.
Heath Ledger stars as
William Thatcher, a low-born 14th century squire who, in a fit of inspired spontaneity, replaces his deceased employer as the competitor at a jousting competition. Jousting is a pastime only permitted to knights, who are of noble birth, but
Thatcher wins and decides to continue his new pursuits. With the help of his two fellow squire friends
Wat and
Roland (
Alan Tudyk and
Mark Addy) and none other than the gambling-addicted
Geoffrey Chaucer (
Paul Bettany),
Thatcher has soon adopted a false identity and is winning one joust after another on his way to a championship in London. His victories inspire the affection of a female fan,
Jocelyn (
Shannyn Sossamon), and the ire of a competitor,
Count Adehmar (
Rufus Sewell), but
Thatcher's ruse is threatened with exposure.
A Knight's Tale is the sophomore directorial effort of acclaimed screenwriter
Brian Helgeland, who won an Oscar for his work on
L.A. Confidential (1997) and debuted behind the camera with the troubled production of
Payback (1999).
~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
