Great Film: A Knight's Tale
Could've been an absolute bomb, but somehow magically works perfectly!
this film is ridiculously unbelievable, thin on plot, shamefully
predictable, historically inaccurate in so many ways...yet it all works! The
combination of modern music to medieval setting should be awful, but no, it
works! The costumes are totally wrong for the period (on purpose I'd hazard
to guess - at one point Angelina Jolie lookalike Shannyn Sossamon is wearing
a hat & dress outfit that looks startlingly similar to a costume Julia
Roberts wore in Pretty Woman...) but it works! Heath Ledger is an Aussie
(what happened to the black hair he had in 10 Things I Hate About You! I
didn't recognize him!) and Alan Tudyk is a Texan, so their accents should
have tanked! But they didn't, just a few slippages a la Mel Gibson in
Braveheart or Jonny Lee Miller in Hackers...
This film is funny, fast-paced (certainly didn't *feel* over 2h...), well
constructed, hilariously tongue-in-cheek (From the We Will Rock You opening
scene to the Nike swooshes on the armor I couldn't stop laughing!) It
certainly has its problems (including some *horribly* cheezy lines - most on
purpose but that doesn't make them any less horrible! and an evil Hollywood
ending - including a Bravheart-like scream of defiance in the final joust
that made me cringe...) but those problems are overcome by sharp wit and
consistent amusement. The actors were obviously enjoying themselves, and the
action was beautifully blended in with the rest of the film. None of the
jousting scenes were too long (like, say, the race in Phantom Menace...) and
all were shot in such a way as to make them really exciting!
And I have to laud Paul Bettany who was an incredible and incredibly amusing
Geoffrey Chaucer...even though he looks eerily similar, IMO, to Thom
Yorke...)
Kudos to anyone who recognizes Laura Fraser (the blacksmith) from Man in the
Iron Mask...
Overall: A great watch. I went in expecting little and came out extremely
satisfied. Not the best film of its kind, but a head above most. And the
blending of contemporary style and music and characterization with the
medieval story/setting is really well done. It really shouldn't but it does
work! 7/10.
Cast
- Lady Jocelyn played by Shannyn Sossamon
- Geoffrey Chaucer played by Paul Bettany
- Sir William Thatcher played by Heath Ledger
- Count Adhemar Of Anjou played by Rufus Sewell
- Kate The Farrier played by Laura Fraser
- Roland played by Mark Addy
- Wat Falhurst played by Alan Tudyk
