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William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) aspires to leave
behind his peasant past and become a tournament
knight in writer/director Brian Helgeland's A Knight's
Tale.
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A Knight's Tale begins with the unexpected death of a veteran knight. Squire William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) doesn't hesitate to put on the deceased knight's armor and take his place in the jousting tournament. It's a life-changing opportunity the would-be knight refuses to ignore.
"I'll ride in his place!" William tells his skeptical friends Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk).
Writer/director Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of L.A. Confidential) infuses what appears at first glance to be an ordinary boyhood costume adventure with fun-loving verve, modern-day attitude and a surprising 1980s Rock soundtrack.
A Knight's Tale still embraces all the coming-of-age clichés. William has aspirations of becoming a great hero. He also wants to win the heart of a pretty girl. For many teen-age boys, adulthood looks that simple. That's certainly the case for the adventuresome William. "I've waited my whole life for this moment!" he gushes.
It's 14th-century Europe and, like most young men, William dreams of becoming a champion knight in the jousting tournaments. The problem is that he is the peasant son of a thatcher, and only nobility can compete. But a chance encounter with a high-spirited writer named Geoff Chaucer (Paul Bettany) offers William a sly solution. Chaucer promotes William as a mysterious nobleman from faraway Gelderland.
William's plan of deception works wondrously. Portraying himself as a noble knight, he rises through the competitive ranks and captures the hearts of the fans. William also catches the eye of a pretty noblewoman named Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon). But tournament rival Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) threatens to expose William's peasant origins. Adhemar wants Jocelyn for himself. After all its posturing about glory and fame, A Knight's Tale is essentially about two men fighting over a woman.
It's a testament to Helgeland's clever storytelling that the film's medieval/modern-day scramble works so well. It's safe to say that A Knight's Tale would be trite and kitschy in another director's hands. Instead, Helgeland appropriates wisely from past costume spectacles like Gladiator and The Adventures of Robin Hood. The result is a spirited and light-hearted film.
Eighties rockers Queen howl "We Will, We Will Rock You!" while jousting knights collide with a crunch of metal and wood. But the mix of modern and medieval styles doesn't stop there. Rowdy tournament fans paint their faces and leap from their seats for an impressive version of the wave. Jocelyn, the object of William's affection, flaunts hair, make-up and clothing that could easily pass for 21st-century style.
Late into A Knight's Tale, the jousts turn slightly repetitive. The splintered lances, dented armor and smashed helmets blur together. William and his knightly opponents turn into rock'em-sock'em robots. Helgeland wisely shifts the film's focus to the sweet romance between William and the headstrong Jocelyn. When he leads his would-be girlfriend in some funky dance steps under the strains of David Bowie's "Golden Years," it's impossible not to smile.
Sossamon boosts A Knight's Tale with some much-appreciated sass as the free-spirited Jocelyn. Thanks to her charms, Helgeland's film is as much a love story as it is a jousting adventure. Addy, Bettany, Tudyk and Laura Fraser, who plays a female blacksmith tired of all the 14th-century gender biases, bring plenty of comic relief as William's merry friends. Sewell is perfectly creepy as the malicious villain in black armor.
Still, A Knight's Tale ultimately belongs to Ledger's boyish hero. It's impressive how he is able to keep Helgeland's sprawling costume epic focused on its human story. Without a compelling hero, a film like A Knight's Tale would quickly unravel.
Ledger's big-shoulder presence even makes the film's expected melodrama more credible. You always knew that the knightly William would return to the poor London neighborhood where he was born and raised. It's inevitable in a drama about a man's ability to change his station in life. But Helgeland's knack for telling a good story makes William's hometown reunion more heartfelt than hokey. By the end of its high-energy adventure, A Knight's Tale makes the case for intelligent hokum.
CityBeat grade: B.
