A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (as seen in…GAME OF THRONES PRESENTS: TALES OF DUNK AND EGG) is currently airing on HBO, and, my own affinity for the diarrheic cold-open aside, I knew there was something about the show that had a nice familiar ring to it. That’s when I realized that the whole “unlikely knight enters tournament and, along with his team of likeable misfits, discovers he’s actually good at jousting” premise was actually identical to one of my, no matter how much I might deny it, favorite movies.
A Knight’s Tale is an odd movie. Ostensibly just a rom com about a wanna-be knight trying to win the heart of a fair maiden by prevailing in a series of tournaments, it has more than a few things going for it. Heath Ledger, operating at the peak of his “just grin through it” charm, is well matched by Shannyn Sossamon, who had a brief period as “next big thing” in the early 2000s before falling into B-movie obscurity. And the supporting cast of Paul “charmingly British, but probably a piece of shit” Bettany, Alan “voice of many cartoon animals” Tuduk, and Rufus “what’s the deal with his eyes” Sewell elevate things beyond other more quickly forgotten genre pictures. Add in the anachronistic soundtrack and relatively snappily directed action sequences and you’ve got an unlikely candidate for one of Isley’s favorite movies.
And really, calling Ledger charming is understating things. Still early in his career (two years after his breakthrough role in 10 Things I Hate About You), Ledger absolutely steals the film here, a primeval force of Aussie charisma, it’s small wonder he pulls in his ragtag band of loveable fuckups through sheer force of personality alone. Looking over his IMDB, Ledger was in fewer movies than I thought, but A Knight’s Tale is one of the ones that cemented his undeniable star power.
Should he be an unbeatable knight with no formal training or obvious physical gifts? Of course not, but Ledger’s charm carries him right past that to the point that there is no question he should both beat the evil count Adhemar, and win the hand of the Lady Jocelyn. Knights, jousting, and games of love, honestly, this movie would probably have been a favorite even without Ledger holding the whole thing together.
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