Heath Ledger
Rufus Sewell
Mark Addy
Laura Fraser
Paul Bettany
directed by
Brian Helgeland
The man done good. Brian Helgeland, the screenwriter
for such classics of the Blockbusters Bargain Bin as
the Mel Gibson-starring Conspiracy Theory and Payback,
has written, produced, and directed his first film.
And it doesn't have big bad Mel in it!
Perhaps very slightly based on Chaucer's A Knight's Tale
from his bestselling children's compendium 'The
Canterbury Tales' (I maintain that children would be
far more attentive in history lessons if the book were
used), this comedy tells the story of a peasant
squire's dreams to become a knight.
Following the
untimely death of his boss, the squire, convincingly
played by Heath Ledger, takes his place in the
jousting ring and wins the tournament. But oh, don't
you know- one must be of noble birth to participate.
Ledger has dreams of winning the world championships
in London, and their ancestrial problem is solved by
the appearance of a butt-naked Geoffery Chaucer, who
agrees to provide royal patents in exchange for food
and water.
Yes, I said naked.
Although this may sound slightly out of place, I
should say that this is no historical saga. From the
moment you see the jousting fans dancing and screaming
to Queen's We Will Rock You, you know this ain't no
serious Hollywood adventure. This is comedy- pure
comedy- mixing Monty Python antics and humour with
almost faultless and wholly believable acting from
especially Paul Bettany's Chaucer, but also the
majority of the cast. The film also manages to retain
an air of intelligence, due largely to the fantastic
script, and the fact that no jokes are used too often
or repeated too much.
The only let down is the fantastic Rufus Sewell's
bad guy. Contradiction? Yes, probably, but Sewell is
just too serious for the role.
The music mixes Jerry Goldsmith-style orchestral
writing with Robbie Williams, and all the better for
it. The jousting scenes are well-made, and even
slightly gripping. You'll walk out with a smile on
your face, and a spring in your gallop. Great stuff.
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