A Knight's Tale

Directed by: Brian Helgeland

Starring: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Shannon Sossamon, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany

Rating:

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     So bad...so very, very, bad. I could kind of tell from the trailers that this movie wasn't going to be good, but I had high hopes. Heath Ledger, although his last movie was the horrible Patriot, has proven that he has a lot of talent. The movie also stars Mark Addy, whom I loved in The Full Monty. But next time will someone remind me to look up writers, etc. before going to see a movie. I should've known what to expect. This movie was written, directed and produced by Brian Helgeland. He's done such fantastic movies as Payback (the first movie I ever bombed), 976-EVIL, and Nightmare on Elm Street 4. Woo hoo, should've known this was going to be an instant classic, that's sarcasm by the way.

The main problem with the film is that the writer obviously couldn't decide what genre this movie was. It jumps back and forth between Drama and shtick humor like a Mel Brooks film. After scenes like the "We Will Rock You" scene in the very beginning it's hard to shift gears into a dramatic story. The ridiculous dance and then the dramatic scene between father and son just can't be in the same movie together and have it work. There's just too much going on in the film.

The chemistry between the two leads is pretty dull and I wasn't especially impressed with Sossamon as a whole, but I won't make a real judgement on her considering what she had to work with...a terrible script. I wanted to gag at the "Better a silly girl with a rose than a silly boy with a sword" or whatever b.s. she says. Gag!

The writing is pretty cheesey, but not terrible. There are a few good lines but others are cliche and vomit worthy. The acting is a little over the top at times and ok in others. Rufus Sewell is decent as is newcomer Shannyn Sossamon. I was happy to see Nick Brimble in a small role. You might remember him from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. He played Little John. Alan Tudyk is decent, but nothing special. The star of the show was not Heath Ledger, suprisingly. It was Paul Bettany who plays Chaucer. He shows great charisma and was the only person that I found believable on the screen. I hope to see him in a lot more.

However, even he cannot spare this terrible movie. It would be an okay drama with a little work and an okay comedy with some work, but the way it stands, it's terrible. Don't even bother renting it. If it comes on tv and you have nothing else to do, watch it.