William: Heath Ledger	Adhemar: Rufus Sewell
Jocelyn: Shanynn Sossamon	Chaucer: Paul Bettany
Kate: Laura Fraser	Roland: Mark Addy
Christiana: Berenice Bejo	Wat: Alan Tudyk
William's Father: Christopher Cazenove	Director: Brian Helgeland

30 Second Bottom Line: A medieval tournament of champions, featuring jousting and sword fights; but with a rock opera twist. Jousting is a sport where knights battle on horseback, dressed in body armor and use blunted spears almost the size of telephone poles to knock the opponent to the ground. These tournaments were the equivalent of our Super Bowls, World Series or NASCAR championships. It's all about spectacle! In addition to being a sports story, this is also a love story of a young man who is coming of age and fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Story Line: William, Roland and Wat (Heath Ledger, Mark Addy and Alan Tudyk) are jousting assistants to a knight who dies quietly, under a tree, after being mortally wounded during an elimination round. When he is called for the final round, William changes into his armor for the chance he's always wanted… to joust. His father (Christopher Cazenove) told him, when he was a young boy, "If a man believes enough, a man can do anything." Although only those of noble birth, with the papers to prove it, are allowed to joust, William dreamed that one-day he would find a way to enter the ring. For lowborn people like William, the likelihood of having this dream realized has little better odds than hitting the lottery.

William manages to conceal his true identity during his first match, because his face armor is dented to the point that he can not easily remove it. Later when he meets Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany), a struggling writer, sauntering naked through the woods, having literally lost the shirt off his back gambling, they strike a deal. Chaucer gets clothing, food and shelter, and for that he uses his writing and counterfeiting skills to produce papers showing royal lineage for William. William becomes Ulrich von Lichtenstein of Gelderland, and enters other tournaments under his assumed name.

If you think this is going to be a slow paced film because it's set in the 14th century…wrong! The crowd's anthem as the knights circle the arena on their horses is "We Will Rock You." When William/Ulrich is ready for his first match, Chaucer gets the crowd going like Don King does with his pre boxing hyper ventilating, and the ring announcers do before the bell rings for the first round.

Jousting events were a place to impress the ladies and when William catches the eye of Lady Jocelyn (Shanynn Sossamon), he is further motivated to become victorious. Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) also desires her, and he doesn't play fair. It becomes clear that a major duel is in the offing between William and Adhemar.

Tell Me More About It: Kate (Laura Fraser) is a female blacksmith whom William meets because she is the only trades person who will repair his body armor on credit. She certainly has the potential to be a competitor to Lady Jocelyn for Williams' attention. Fraser's role in Left Luggage shows that she can convey a strong sense of sexuality on the big screen.

There are a few too many situations, which play out just as we expect, making the movie somewhat of a letdown. Even though there is good acting, effective tongue in cheek humor, with an interesting story of human relationships, it's far more predictable than should be the case. Where are all those script doctors when you need them? We know that William's deception regarding his name and lineage will be uncovered. As in just about all sports movies, we know who will win the final battle at the end of the film. Rufus Sewell was an agent of the devil in Bless The Child, and he takes that look he can generate and does a terrific job of being evil in A Knight's Tale.

Overall, A Knight's Tale is imaginative and fun movie making. The blending of today's music in a movie set 700 years ago comes off without a hitch. Familiar tunes like "Takin Care of Business," "Get Ready" and " I Want to Take You Higher" convey what the movie is about. They get you going with "We will Rock You" and send you out with "We Are the Champions." A Knight's Tale is a lot of fun.

Heath Ledger: The Patriot	Rufus Sewell: Bless The Child
Shanynn Sossamon: 40 Days and 40 Nights	Paul Bettany: Bent
Laura Fraser: Left Luggage	Mark Addy: The Full Monty
Berenice Bejo: Passionement	Alan Tudyk: 28 Days
Christopher Cazenove: Heat and Dust	Brian Helgeland: L.A. Confidential