A Knight's Tale

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A Knight's Tale

PG-13

Released May 11, 2001

2h 12m

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

154 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Peasant-born William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) begins a quest to change his stars, win the heart of an exceedingly fair maiden (Shanynn Sossamon) and rock his medieval world. With the help of friends (Mark Addy, Paul Bettany, Alan Tudyk), he faces the ultimate test of medieval gallantry -- tournament jousting -- and tries to discover if he has the mettle to become a legend.

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Critics Consensus

Once you get past the anachronism, A Knight's Tale becomes a predictable, if spirited, Rocky on horseback.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

There are worse crimes than crowd pleasing, but at least do it with some finesse.

Mar 6, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Slightly edgy medieval tale with rock music.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 21, 2010

Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Whipping along at speed, with elaborate camera movements and rousing speeches, this knows how to engage a crowd. It's corny, of course, but a guilty pleasure: romantic, diverting, with mildly amusing modern gags.

Jun 24, 2006

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Its medieval tale offers some moments of heroism with Ledger as the town knight, but unfortunately the plot is hopelessly corny. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/10

Apr 17, 2025

Full Review

Andrew Collins

Radio Times

It's tremendous, infectious fun, with a rocking soundtrack, and everyone concerned enters into the spirit of it

Rated: 4/5

Feb 9, 2024

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Graeme Tuckett

The Post NZ

If all you want to do tonight is watch something funny, exciting and deeply likeable, A Knight's Tale is a vintage gem.

Nov 11, 2022

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chris

Fun jaunt into medieval times with a hint of modern day flavor. It’s a family friendly story of someone that rose from the bottom of society to great heights.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/21/25

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David -

This one aged well, I think. Heartbreaking in retrospect of the tragic loss of leading man Heath Ledger, but also one of the films that helped launch the careers of Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Mark Addy and others. It's just fun to watch if you love romantic stories cast in the back drop of the time of knights, lords and ladies, despicable villains and unapologetically uplifting happy endings.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/26/25

Full Review

Jace T

Alright, A Knight's Tale is goofy and amazing. Goofy in the sense that it uses early 2000's modern era music and theme's mixed with medieval style movie showcasing during it's runtime, which is also what makes it amazing. It's also a really fun romance movie with good adventure and nice bits of comedy spread throughout.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/22/25

Full Review

Ellaine T

A film lacking in polish, but more than makes up for it with heart. A feel-good story for the masses about man born to nothing, who gets lucky and uses that opportunity to make his mark, not by right of birth, but by the virtues of bravery, tenacity, and kindness.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/10/25

Full Review

Ron B

Fun humorous storyline and characters. Awesome 70s and 80s music.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/25

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Shaun R

Fail that shouldn’t work but it does. Fun and entertaining enough.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/01/25

Full Review

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Brian Helgeland

Director

Heath Ledger

William

Mark Addy

Roland

Rufus Sewell

Count Adhemar

Paul Bettany

Chaucer

Shannyn Sossamon

Lady Jocelyn

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - Take the Bad With the Good

2:10

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - Sir William

2:44

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - Father and Son

2:06

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - My Foxy Lady

2:08

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - A Dance From Gelderland

3:19

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - Dance Lessons

2:37

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - Do It For Love

2:37

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - The Tournament

3:03

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - Tournament Training

2:20

A Knight's Tale: Official Clip - Love Letter

2:21

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A Knight's Tale: Trailer 1

2:24

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Synopsis

Peasant-born William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) begins a quest to change his stars, win the heart of an exceedingly fair maiden (Shanynn Sossamon) and rock his medieval world. With the help of friends (Mark Addy, Paul Bettany, Alan Tudyk), he faces the ultimate test of medieval gallantry -- tournament jousting -- and tries to discover if he has the mettle to become a legend.

Director: Brian Helgeland
Producer: Brian Helgeland, Tim Van Rellim, Todd Black
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Finestkind, Black and Blu Entertainment, Columbia Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Sex-Related Dialogue|Action/Violence|Some Nudity)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 11, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $56.1M
Runtime: 2h 12m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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