Uncaringly, unremittingly, resoundingly over-the-top! This is not your great-grandfather's knight's tale (or even your Dad's)! If you were looking for a film with the textures and feeling of ye olde rounde table, this is not the film to see. Historically inaccurate and proud of it, the story of one young knight's quest for love and glory resounds with modern overtones while minimizing the anachronistic setting.

The film opens up with a jousting match serenaded by the discordant notes of the song We Will Rock You (by Queen) with the entire audience 'singing' along. Both knights hurl themselves at each other, lances splintering on each other's armor. One knight wanders off and the match is over.

Fortunately for the knight he has managed to nearly win the jousting championship. Unfortunately his poor health has become his downfall and he perishes after the match, leaving his squire and his friends the choice between jousting the final match and starving.

Young William Thatcher (Heath Ledger of The Patriot) has dreamed of such a moment. A commoner with aspirations of becoming a knight (in spite of the requirement that a knight be of noble birth) he rises to the occasion and tips his lance into the lists, first under the guise of his liege and then in his own alias, Sir Auric von Lichtenstein of Gelderland. He quickly learns the ins and outs of jousting, finds a way to enter the lists as a knight and then, armored in a shiny, near-invincible suit of armor fights to reach his goal of living the life of a knight and winning the heart of the fair lady Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon). Opposing him in both of these endeavors is the pragmatic, traditional, fearsome, and undefeated jousting champion Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell of Dark City)...


I just checked out this film at a local prerelease and enjoyed myself quite a bit! This movie sets itself out as a crowd pleaser and does not disappoint. The crowd the director is trying to please is the MTV generation and the slant this puts on ye olde joust is an amusing bit of fluff. The movie never really takes itself seriously and is cleverly aware of this fact.

If you are interested in historical accuracy, you probably shouldn't check out this film. It revels in its inaccuracies and flaunts them with abandon. One method for doing this is through the music it chooses. The heavy chords of Queen are sprinkled through the film and David Bowie's Golden Years is played in the local dance. Personally I found the contrast to be pleasantly ironic and more than a little overdone. This is the kind of overdone that will have you grinning because it is just so "out there." I must admit that it sure had me asking myself "Did they really play that song?" on a few occasions but I enjoyed the music quite a bit and thought it was a step up from some other fantasy soundtracks that try to be fit medieval music to a modern beat (this film just used modern music when it was going to be cheesy anyhow).

I found myself grinning throughout most of the film because it really does push the envelope of what is proper for a film. There is no nudity to speak of (except that one of the male characters actually starts out nude and is also nude in another scene--nothing sexual about that though) and the only real violence is the jousting and there is a good natured feel surrounding it. Lines tend toward the trite and the plot is predictable but you realize early on that it is going to be that sort of film and so rolling with the punches (and laughing when you realize the line that is coming next) comes with the territory.

The jousts themselves actually seem pretty well done and aside from the background might be relatively accurate. They are contrasted against such modern spectacles such as WWF wrestling matches and boxing matches through the use of the knights' personal heralds. William's herald, a young writer by the name of Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany--yes that Chaucer... Told you it was over-the-top!) quickly forges new ground through his outlandish method of announcing Sir Auric (similar to the Let's Get Ready to Rumble! announcers of modern fame).

Before I make this film out to be a total testosterone fare, I should probably point out that there is a strong overtone of romantic comedy within the film. Heath Ledger manages to strike a chord as a brash young (and romantic) cavalier vying for his lady love while Shannyn Sossamon acts as a solid counterpoint/modern woman (nothing archaic about this woman though) to his violent fighting. Ledger puts in a solid performance, emoting to the audience his yearning to be accepted as a knight and his romantic love towards his lady faire.

I saw the film with a mostly college crowd of about equal numbers of girls and guys and just about everyone (including myself) was really into the film. It would probably be a great date movie, putting in mind the chivalrous overtones of knighthood with the heroic notions of the same. It is really not a film that you want to analyze or compare acting styles or anything of that sort but it is a great film to check out if you need a break from work or from finals or just want a decent film to check out to on a date. Guys will dig the action. Women will dig the romance while grinning at some of the digs at the testosterone set.

If you do decide to see the film though, realize that it is all in fun or you might leave a bit annoyed at it. It is fun and frivolous and for the most part does a great job of not taking itself seriously.

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older