Heath Ledger goes a little over the top in this fictional biography called A Knight’s Tale. Gleefully filled with anachronisms, imagine one of the better teen flicks of recent years (such as Ledger’s own 10 Things I Hate About You) set eight or nine hundred years ago. The locals know the words to Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and dance to Bowie’s “Golden Years.” The tournaments of knights go from town to town and lead up to a World Championship, sort of like a WWF without the scripting.
One of writer/director Brian Helgeland’s amusing creations is using Geoffrey Chaucer (yes, he of the Canterbury Tales) as a kind of PR flack/herald for Ledger’s character. Not to mention Chaucer (Paul Bettany) first appears to us nude after losing his clothes to a gambling addiction. Rufus Sewell is a very good baddie and Helgeland wisely makes no attempt to give him any redeeming qualities. Shannyn Sossamon makes her screen debut as the love interest and she is quite beautiful; not another generic blonde but also not too impressive in the, um, curves department.
The principals must have enjoyed working together quite a bit as Helgeland, Ledger, Sossamon, and Mark Addy (Ledger’s primary squire) have reteamed for The Sin Eater, a religious themed murder mystery due out later this year. Anyway, if you’re in the mood for something goofy, fluffy, and medieval, A Knight’s Tale is recommended.
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