A KNIGHT'S TALE
Columbia Tristar
CAST: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany, Alan Tudyk, Lara Frasier,
Christopher Cazenove, Berenice Bejo, Scott Handy, James Purefoy and Leagh Conwell
DIRECTOR: Brian Hegeland
RATING: PG-13 for action violence, some nudity and brief sex-related dialogue
RUNNING TIME: 132 minutes
2001
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The idea of injecting rock and roll into a genre film isn't wholly unique to Brian Helgeland's jousting redux of Rocky. From Joel Goldsmith's invigorating Metallica-inspired riffs in 1997's underrated Kull the Conqueror to Queen's unforgettable contributions to the sonic world of Flash Gordon, the fusion of heavy metal with heavy steel has been seeping around the edges of the silver screen for decades. But it's with A Knight's Tale that both the audience and the characters within the film are let in on the joke simultaneously. As the medieval jousting audience enthusiastically interacts with Queen's stadium anthem “We Will Rock You” in the film's opening, it becomes very clear that A Knight's Tale will be wearing its overt hipness as critical armor.
The rather pedestrian story centers around William (Aussie superstar-in-waiting Heath Ledger), a young knight's apprentice who seizes an opportunity to make his life more than it was ever meant to be. His cohorts Wat (Alan Tudyk), Roland (Mark Addy), Kate (Laura Fraser) and Chaucer (an excellent Paul Bettany) come grudgingly along for the ride, giving William as much friendship as they provide the audience with comic relief. As the film progresses so does the importance of these secondary characters, a breaking of cliché's that is a most unusual and welcome change.
Heath Ledger finds his token love interest with Princess Jocelyn, a woefully ineffective and laughable character. As horrifically portrayed by newcomer (and ex-DJ) Shannyn Sossamon, Jocelyn has all the direct emotional appeal of a creased Playboy Centerfold. Sossamon's hysterical, stilted performance comes dangerously close to ruining the entire film. She should have been knocked off the casting horse long before cameras started to roll.
They say a good action film is only as strong as its villain. If Rufus Sewell's Oscar-worthy performance as Count Adhemar is the template for such a statement, then A Knight's Tale comes across with the strength of Hercules. Sewell doesn't just steal each scene he's in; the thespian redefines each moment and gives the film a sense of solid realism. Rufus Sewell plays his role like he wasn't given the last page of the script. It's as if his Adhemar is the hero and Ledger's William the villain. As a bonus, Rufus is allowed to utter the year's best line: “The same old sins, but done in fresh, new ways.”
Such a line also effectively sums up the merits of A Knight's Tale. This is a film that trades fantasy for frivolity, while showcasing heroics and heart. Falling just short of being a true galloping success, A Knight's Tale is nevertheless Excalibur Entertainment.
--Yim Kip
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