As an ongoing project, /r/movies will be posting Throwback Discussion threads weekly for the movies that came out this same weekend 25 years ago. As a reminder, Official Discussion threads are for discussing the movie and not for meta sub discussion.
A Knight’s Tale (2001)
Summary
A peasant squire assumes the identity of a knight and enters medieval tournaments, pursuing glory, love, and acceptance despite the rigid class structure of the time.
Director
Brian Helgeland
Writer
Brian Helgeland
Cast
- Heath Ledger as William Thatcher
- Rufus Sewell as Count Adhemar
- Shannyn Sossamon as Jocelyn
- Paul Bettany as Geoffrey Chaucer
- Mark Addy as Roland
- Alan Tudyk as Wat
Rotten Tomatoes: 59%
Metacritic: 56
VOD / Release
Theatrical release
Trailer
Official Trailer
by LiteraryBoner
17 Comments
Look, you have to take these older movies’ ratings on RT and MC with a grain of salt. The sites didn’t really exist back then so they are all based on older and far fewer reviews, reviews that had to be dug up rather than openly submitted. But a 56% on RT for A Knight’s Tale? Who dislikes this movie? It’s the definition of a crowd pleaser. I have a vivid memory of seeing this movie in theaters, I would have been 12, and being seriously flabbergasted at the medieval people stomping the beat to We Will Rock You in the opening. Like, I didn’t even realize you were allowed to do that, pretend that people had heard a song they clearly had not.
This is like a movie that has a pretty good script but could go either way, but this cast elevates it to absolutely insane levels. This is the perfect role for Ledger, the wide eyed and devastatingly handsome good lad, and for it we all fell in love with him. Shannon Sosseman is so anachronistic in vibe she felt plucked straight out of the 2000s and it makes her feel unique compared to the other lords and ladies. Mark Addy, Paul Bettany, and Alan Tudyk make up one of the best friend groups in cinema and Laura Fraser even fits right in to their dynamic. And Rufus Sewell! Have you ever hated a beady-eyed privileged douche more?
It’s just a homerun of a movie. Such a beautifully hopeful message. “Anyone can change their stars.” I’m crying typing it for fuck’s sake. The Golden Years scene! The slobs vs snobs plot. The scene with his father, the blind fishnet maker. There’s just nothing really like this movie that balances its fun and emotion so well, that feels so modern but takes its setting seriously. Absolute 10/10 and I will hear no argument.
“You’ve been weighed. You’ve been measured. And you’ve been found wanting.”
Heath Ledger is great in the movie but Paul Bettany steals the movie!
The movie is further evidence that Alan Tudyk’s presence always elevates anything.
“Uh, betray us, and I will fong you, until your insides are out, your outsides are in, your entrails will become your extrails I will… rip… all the p… ung. Pain, lots of pain.”
I will die on the hill that A Knight’s Tale is the greatest sports movie ever made. It’s in rotation for my favorite movie period. Not enough people appreciate it.
Saw this for the first time about five years ago and it became an instant classic for me. I hated myself for missing out on it for so long. One of the most perfectly entertaining and satisfying movies I’ve ever seen. I could watch Bettany’s first hype man speech and the scene where Ledger gets knighted a million times and never get bored.
I’ve posted a few times that Shannyn Sossamon relatively vanished. And she was poised to be taking the next step.
That movie was ahead of it’s time. That’s the wired hill I will die on.
“It’s called a laaaaaaaance”
This movie cemented Alan Tudyk as one of my favorite actors. Also I was absolutely shocked to find out he wasn’t British.
We walk … in the GARDEN OF HIS TURBULENCE!!”
Saw this in the theater on a Friday night with a friend after work. Instant love. I will always stop and watch if I see on cable. The modern music, the amazing cast. It should have been terrible but it was amazing
Watched it for the first time last year, still awesome.
This was a blind buy DVD for me years ago. I was need up living it. My favorite scene is where the prince knights William. From time to time, I’ll watch that scene on YouTube just for fun.
“Your men love you. And if I knew nothing else about you, it would be enough.”
Rufus Sewell is one of my favorite villains. He plays them so well.
Legit one of my favourite movies would absolutely drop good money on a nice 4K set
My favorite subtle genius decision was to refer to Chaucer as “Jeff” the whole movie. They could have made such a big deal about it, but nope, they commit to the but.
I didn’t see the twist of Paul Bettany being a hallucination the whole time coming
My whole family watched this so much when I was growing up. I remember one time we watched it, then rewound the tape and watched it again.