A Knight's Tale Details

This irreverent medieval caper sets out its stall right at the start, when Queen's anthemic We Will Rock You thuds on to the soundtrack at a joust. So far, so anachronistic. But the real twist is that the 14th-century spectators join in and clap in time. It's that kind of film, full of such cheeky flourishes — jousting fans sing rock songs, emcees talk up contestants like it's WWF wrestling, and dancers at a royal banquet groove to David Bowie's Golden Years. Writer/director Brian Helgeland — whose directorial debut, Payback with Mel Gibson, was reportedly taken from him and re-shot — certainly enjoys himself here, and so does his cast. Heath Ledger plays the commoner who dreams of being a knight, and so impersonates one with the help of sidekicks Mark Addy (his best role since The Full Monty), Alan Tudyk and Paul Bettany (who casually steals the film with his portrayal of writer Geoffrey Chaucer). It's tremendous, infectious fun, with a rocking soundtrack, and everyone concerned enters into the spirit of it (including Rufus Sewell as the evil Count Adhemar). If there's a downside, it's Helgeland's occasionally inexperienced handling of the action scenes, and the fact that, frankly, if you've seen one jousting match, you've seen 'em all.

"...An impressive ensemble; there aren't many movies in which the actors use their voices so well, making each line reading memorable..."