A Knight's Tale

Every now and then a truly great popcorn movie will feature the rise of a truly great actor or actress. Sometimes these stars burn so brightly that they are gone too soon, as was the case with Heath Ledger. And while A Knight's Tale certainly wasn't his greatest moment as an artist, it was probably his greatest popcorn moment of all time.

Ledger was nothing more than a fledgling teen heartthrob after a star turn in 10 Things I Hate About You, but A Knight's Tale allowed him to flex his muscles a little more and offer a slight hint of greater things to come. The fact that this film is in any way memorable owes an awful lot to the star quality of Ledger who is so charismatic and likeable, that even the paper thin and predictable plot and the often naff script seem charming and fresh.

However, following the true popcorn movie tradition, A Knight's Tale is also helped along by a great support cast. Mark Addy (the fat guy from The Full Monty), Alan Tudyk (the pirate in Dodgeball) and Paul Bettany (the creepy guy from The Da Vinci Code), are Ledger's sidekicks. Each has their moment and there is a genuine feeling of camaraderie among the boys. Rufus Sewell is also delightfully despicable as the villain of the piece, Count Adhemar.

One of the real surprises comes from Shannyn Sossamon, who made her film debut in A Knight's Tale. After beating out Kate Hudson for the role of Ledger's love interest, Sossamon is a good fit for the beautiful and mildly-sassy Jocelyn. She appeared destined for a big future after this movie, but her career never really took off despite the occasional critically acclaimed role, and she certainly has never returned to the ranks of popcorn movies again (something she is probably very proud of!)

However, the biggest surprise of this movie is the way in which modern day vernacular and music is integrated into the scenes. There are so many modern day references, that rather than trying to be clever about the way they are incorporated, A Knight's Tale simply swaggers along and says 'I am not even close to being historically accurate and I couldn't care less'. This approach is entertaining, endearing and let's you just enjoy the film for what it is rather than being put off by the contradictions. I mean, who can't help but smile when We Will Rock You is the the theme song for jousting tournaments. But probably the most audacious use of modern music, and one of the best moments of the film, is when Ledger and Sossamon turn a traditional medieval dance into getting funky to David Bowie... naturally this is the popcorn movie moment of the week...