Summary:
A peasant masquerades as a knight to feed himself and maybe win some glory.
My Thoughts:
This film came out when I was in middle school, and I remember watching it multiple times over at friends’ houses. I can still remember quoting many lines over and over again (“His spirit is gone, but his stench remains.”), and listening to the soundtrack I rented from my public library over and over again. This was a go-to film among my friends, so I found myself coming at this from a slanted perspective; it’s a film that checks many of the boxes that I like for stories in general. I’ve a predilection for all things medieval, and I love rags to riches stories, and fun swashbuckling adventures with memorable characters and exciting action. For some people, I’m sure this movie will be more annoying than endearing, and I can totally understand that- there are scenes that really don’t work for me- scenes that, when I was younger, I thought were the coolest things in the world. The melding of classic rock and medieval music really doesn’t work as well as I used to think it did, and while I can’t say that the music choices ruin the whole film, it definitely detracts from a lot of scenes. The story, however, is wonderful, and the characters are well developed and incredibly likable. This is a film that, while I can’t say it’s amazing, it is one I’ll return to multiple times (just like “King Arthur” (2004)), because it works for me more often than not. I’m a cinephile, not a movie elitist; I can forgive little flaws if the story wins me over.
“You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting.”
After his master dies, William Thatcher (Heath Ledger, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”), a poor squire, decides to don his master’s armor and compete in a jousting tournament in order to win gold and glory. Aided by his fellow squires, Roland (Mark Addy, “Robin Hood” (2010)) and Wat (Alan Tudyk, “Serenity”), William makes his way to another tournament, but on the road he meets a writer named Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany, “Avengers: Infinity War”), whom offers to write him the proper genealogy documents needed to compete in the tourney. Once enrolled in the tournament, William catches the eye of Lady Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon, “Wristcutters: A Love Story”), and tries to woo her over, while at the same time, Lady Jocelyn’s hand is sought after by the ruthless Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell, “Dark City”), a man desperate to put Will in his place. As Will competes in more tournaments and his fame increases, it becomes more likely that his true birth will come to light, endangering his lives and the lives of his friends.
I suppose what people remember most about this movie is its soundtrack, and honestly, that makes sense. The songs that pervade this film sometimes work and sometimes don’t. I really don’t think we needed a training montage set to ‘Low Rider’ by War, nor do I find it funny/believable/endearing that trumpeters play Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ guitar solo (it’s just annoying and baffling), and even though I love Bowie, setting a dance scene to ‘Golden Years’ just doesn’t work… The rock and roll soundtrack seemed to be an appeal to younger audiences, even though this film mostly appeals to teenagers already. I wont say I completely hate the soundtrack, because there are times when it sort of works, but most of the time, I just wished for a regular score. The stuff that was scored like a normal medieval film worked far better than any of the other scenes, but maybe that’s just me… While we’re speaking about things completely out of place, I might as well bring up the infamous Nike swoosh that Will has on his armor… I really can’t defend that; it’s pretty dumb. I can’t think of any product placement that’s ever been more shameless… But enough about the subpar bits, let’s get onto the good stuff.
I really enjoy all the characters in this film; almost everybody we meet and get to know has some sort of unique trait or thing to do, and better yet they’re all likable characters. One thing that makes almost all of our characters likable is that all of them are rough and tough underdogs (save perhaps Jocelyn, who really is just an object of desire- though, this feels very reminiscent of ancient epics and stories of knight’s quests- she may be one of the least interesting characters, but that feels purposeful to me). Almost all of characters belong to a lower class of people- the peasants- and one of the main themes of this film is class struggle. Will is strong willed and determined to make things work- he’s constantly trying to ‘change his stars,’ or rewrite his destiny. Roland and Wat, the two squire sidekicks, are essentially the comic relief of the film. While the two might not have a ton to do in terms of moving the plot forward, they provide plenty of chuckles throughout the film, plus they both have a satisfying character arc. I love the fact that Bettany plays the Geoffrey Chaucer (author of Canterbury Tales- he’s been called the Father of English Literature)- which, I’m sorry to say, is not something middle school Seth caught. Bettany as Chaucer was absolutely wonderful, and it led to many lengthy and lyrical soliloquies reminiscent of the great poet’s work. For a bibliophile and cinephile like myself, this was truly a treat.
As far as story goes this was something rather unique and also pretty compelling. There are dozens upon dozens of knight in shining armor stories, but how many of them revolve not around a battle or war, but around a tournament? Probably not many… This film is also unique in that it’s not about a king or a nobleman; it’s about a peasant fighting his way to the top. The film might sugarcoat a lot of details about the hardships of living in the Middle Ages, but that’s all right; the movie doesn’t try to be historically accurate- it simply tries to show you a good time, and in that, it succeeds admirably.
Verdict:
There will be plenty of people that think my 3.5/5 star rating is too high, and I don’t blame them. This is a film that will probably divide people- it’ll either work for you or it wont. Perhaps I saw this movie too young and it got under my skin too early, because in spite of some of the stupider scenes I still find myself enjoying the heck out of this movie. Hate it or love it, there are parts in this movie that are genuinely good and parts that are truly bad; it’s up to you as a viewer to decide if you’re willing to forgive its weaker moments for the moments that shine.
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