This is the kind of movie that people love or hate. Personally I thought it was pretty good. But then again I did see the previews so I had a good idea of what to expect. This is not your traditional medieval story. Heck, this is not any sort of Middle Ages movie that I've ever seen or heard about. Perhaps it's been done before, perhaps not. But as far as I can tell it's quite unique.

Heath Ledger plays William, son of John the Thatcher. William along with his friends Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk) are all squires (well, that's probably too much, more like assistants) of Sir Ector (Nick Brimble). Sir Ector has to go on a joust in a couple of minutes. Only problem is he's dead. Too bad too since he's almost won the tournament. "Damn you!" yells Wat while kicking Sir Ector's body, "I haven't eaten in three days!"

In desperate straits, William has a plan: he'll put on Sir Ector's armor and fight in his name. Roland wants none of this. It's one thing to go hungry, another to be hanged for impersonating a knight. But he eventually comes around and they prepare William for the joust.

Now comes a scene that gives the tone of the movie. We have a shot of the spectators, eagerly waiting for the joust to start. They're pounding their fists and clapping their hands in unison. In fact, they're doing it to the rhythm of "We Will Rock You." This is the defining characteristic of the movie: imbuing modern-day mannerisms and hype to a usually stolidly serious or Monty-Python comedic genre.

William does win, barely. But not through any innate skill of his own. Still, the tournament victory does give the trio some much-needed money and William a chance to live his dream. He wants to be a knight, just like he's always dreamed about since he was a kid (sometime around here there's a flashback sequence when young William declares he is going to be a knight). Although highly skeptical that they can pull it off, Roland and Wat are finally convinced.

So they train for a month before the next tournament (apparently there's a regular tournament circuit in Europe, with the championships held in London). William is awful at first, but after much practice he is at least good enough to get his lance on target. Maybe they can pull this off after all.

On the way to that first tournament they met Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany), a writer by trade ("Perhaps you've heard of 'Troilus and Crseyde'? No? Never mind, it was only an allegory." "No need to be so negative, I'm sure it's up each person's interpretation.") who is trudging along without a stitch of clothing. Geoffrey instantly sees through William's disguise, but he's willing to help by providing Patents of Nobility in exchange for food and clothes. And so Geoffrey joins the band, becoming Sir Ulric von Lichtenstein's herald.

At the first tournament we meet the other characters in this tale. There is the lovely Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon -- this seems to be her first movie and the female lead at that) and her maid Christiana (BŽrŽnice Bejo) (who has a thing for Roland). William of course falls in love with Jocelyn and vies for her attentions with Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell), the finest jouster in the land and not a very nice guy to boot. Finally there is Kate (Laura Fraser), blacksmith by trade and inventor of a revolutionary process to make really light armor that's just as strong as the current armor (meaning that Heath gets to wear "cool" armor while everyone else is wearing these big hulking armors). Kate is becomes the fifth member of the band, providing a woman's perspective of how to be wooed.

The basic plot is set. William against Count Adhemar, jousting on the field and off, with William trying to keep his real identity a secret. It is mostly a period piece. The sets are Middle Ages looking and the speech is Old English accented. The values are more modern, with Jocelyn being decidedly forward and modern. We have William showing off the dance style of his "native" land, something much more upbeat and country western than 14th Century. We also have Geoffrey introducing William in the style of a WWF announcer ("I give you the meditative, the protector of Italian Virginity, the defender of Christ, here's Sirr Ullllll-ric von Lichtenstein!").

"A Knight's Tale" has both a good (if somewhat predictable) plot, very good dialogue, and a refreshingly different take on the old knight in shining armor routine. Heath Ledger is very good, as is Rufus Sewell. Paul Bettany is great as Chaucer. I also liked Laura Fraser as Kate. This is pure entertainment, nothing historical or historically accurate about it. But who cares? It's a good action/comedy with some romance.