A Knight's Tale

Based on the story The Knight’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer, A Knight’s Tale is the story of a squire who decides to become a knight as he becomes a hero to the people while gaining the ire of a tournament champion. Written for the screen and directed by Brian Helgeland, the film plays into a young who comes from nothing and becomes a champion with the help of other peasants as well as those who are from the world of nobility. Starring Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Mark Addy, Shannyn Sossaman, Alan Tudyk, Laura Fraser, Berenice Bejo, James Purefoy, and Paul Bettany as Geoffrey Chaucer. A Knight’s Tale is a gloriously entertaining and engaging film from Brian Helgeland.

The film revolves a young squire who decides to become a knight following the death of his master as he’s aided by a couple of friends in his quest to become a champion despite not being connected to any kind of nobility. With the aid of a broke and naked Geoffrey Chaucer and female blacksmith in Kate (Laura Fraser), William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) would find his way to climb up the ranks as tournament champion while hoping to defeat the great champion Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) and win the heart of a noblewoman in Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossaman). While it’s a story that is quite simple, Brian Helgeland creates something that manages to be universal in this young man who was born a peasant squire who does these joust tournaments and becomes a champion of the people.

Helgeland’s script plays into William’s determination to become a knight in the hopes that he can get out of his hardened upbringing and go for something more. Yet, he would share it with his friends as well as intrigue Jocelyn who sees him as someone that is very different from the knights that often court her. To the film’s antagonist in Count Adhemar, he sees William as someone that doesn’t play by the rules nor is someone that behaves a certain way as his jousting style is one that Ademar replies as no style at all. It adds to this conflict of sorts of old world ideals vs. new world ideals as William represents the latter in his pseudonym Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein of Gelderland.

Helgeland’s direction is filled with not just an air of simplicity in the compositions but also something that is very offbeat in the way he fuses 20th/21st Century ideas into the film such as music and product placement logos. Notably as Helgeland discards the idea of anachronisms in scenes where songs by Queen or David Bowie are played in parties or jousting events as it makes sense in the scenes he creates. Many of the compositions in wide and medium shots play into the many locations set in the film as much of it is shot in the Czech Republic near Prague. Helgeland’s usage of close-ups add to some of the drama as well as the humor including some scenes where William looks back into his life as a child and the dreams that are instilled in him wanting to make his own destiny. Even as it plays into that determination of a man from a poor background giving people from his world hope in becoming champion as well as defying the odds. Overall, Helgeland creates a riveting and exciting film about a poor squire who becomes a champion for the people.

Cinematographer Richard Greatrex does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with some naturalistic lighting for some of the daytime exterior scenes while creating some unique lighting schemes and moods for scenes set at night. Editor Kevin Stitt does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts, montages, and dissolves to play into some of the action and humor in the film. Production designer Tony Burrough, with set decorators Dominic Smithers and Jiri Zureck and art directors John Hill and Grant Armstrong, does amazing work with the set pieces from the jousting arenas and castle halls as well as the tents in that period of medieval times. Costume designer Caroline Harris does fantastic work with the costumes from the gowns that the noblewomen wear including the dazzling clothes of Jocelyn to the armors and robes the knights wore.

Hair/makeup artist Pebbles does nice work with some of the designs for Jocelyn‘s hairstyle and some of the makeup she would wear. Visual effects supervisor Tim Burke does terrific work with the minimal visual effects that include a few set dressing scenery including one shot of the old London Bridge. Sound editor Jon Johnson does superb work with the sound from the way the spears sound against the armor to the sounds of swords clanging. The film’s music by Carter Burwell is wonderful for its mixture of orchestral flourishes and folk pieces to play into the periods of the time as it is mixed in with late 20th Century music from Queen, David Bowie, War, Thin Lizzy, Rare Earth, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Sly and the Family Stone, AC/DC, and Eric Clapton.

The casting by Francine Maisler is phenomenal as it features some notable small roles from Steven O’Donnell and Jonathan Slinger as men Chaucer owes money to, Nick Brimble as William’s old master Sir Ector, Leagh Conwell as the young William, Christopher Cazenove as William’s father who encouraged him to go after his dreams, Scott Handy as Adhemar’s assistant, and James Purefoy as the knight Sir Colville whom William befriends. Berenice Bejo is wonderful as Jocelyn’s lady-in-waiting Christiana who would be Jocelyn’s conscience and liaison. Laura Fraser is terrific as William’s blacksmith who would create a new armor for him while showing him how to dance with a woman for a ball. Alan Tudyk is fantastic as William’s friend Wat as this very tempered squire that always throw a fit while hoping to eat again. Mark Addy is excellent as Roland as another of William’s friend who is also a squire as he is also a conscience of sorts for William.

Paul Bettany is brilliant as Geoffrey Chaucer as a writer who becomes William’s herald as well as speak for him before the matches where Bettany also provides humor from the way he’s introduced as he’s walking on the road completely naked. Shannyn Sossaman is amazing as Jocelyn as a noblewoman who copes with her status and being seen as a prize until she meets William and realizes that he just cares about her as an equal as it’s a very delightful performance to watch. Rufus Sewell is incredible as Count Adhemar as jousting champion and nobleman who tries to woo Jocelyn while dealing with William’s presence which he sees as a threat as he’s a fun antagonist to watch. Finally, there’s Heath Ledger in a spectacular performance as William Thatcher as a young peasant squire who dreams of becoming a knight as he seizes the chance to become one while trying to do what is right as well as be humble as it’s one of Ledger’s definitive performances.

A Knight’s Tale is a remarkable film from Brian Helgeland that features a phenomenal performance from the late Heath Ledger. Along with a strong ensemble, a compelling story, and a fun soundtrack. It’s a film that manages to be a story that is entertaining with characters audiences can care for. In the end, A Knight’s Tale is a sensational film from Brian Helgeland.

Brian Helgeland Films: (Payback) - (The Order (2003 film) - (42) - Legend (2015 film)

© thevoid99 2016

Road to Nowhere

Directed by Monte Hellman and written by Steven Gaydos, Road to Nowhere is the story of a filmmaker who falls for a young actress as she is suspected for her involvement in the disappearance of a rich couple. Yet, he bases on the story of a disappearance as makes it into a film with his new muse. The film explores the world of art and how one is willing to go into delving into dark realities. Starring Cliff de Young, Shannyn Sossaman, Dominique Swain, Tygh Runyan, Fabio Testi, Waylon Payne, and John Diehl. Road to Nowhere is an intriguing but very pretentious film from Monte Hellman.

Mitchell Haven (Tygh Runyan) is a young filmmaker on the rise as he has decided to make his next project about the disappearances and possible deaths of a rich couple named Rafe Tachen (Cliff de Young) and Velma Duran (Shannyn Sossaman) that also led to the death of a corrupt cop (John Diehl). After reading a report on a blog by reporter Nathalie Post (Dominique Swain), Haven decides to make the project for his next film as it is to star Cary Stewart (Cliff de Young) in the role of Rafe Tachen. During the casting process for the film, Haven makes a discovery in a young actress named Laurel Graham (Shannyn Sossaman) whom he decides to meet in Rome, Italy where she’s traveling. While she looks a lot like Duran, Haven cast her for the role of Duran as Haven falls for her.

In hopes to make the film into a masterpiece, he decides to shoot the film on location where Post joins the set along with an insurance investigator named Bruno Brotherton (Waylon Payne) serves as the film’s consultant. With Haven working on the film with his actors, Brotherton tries to piece everything out that really happens with Post’s help. While Haven becomes more intent on making his film better while being enamored with Graham’s beauty. Brotherton suspects something isn’t right as he starts to think that Graham isn’t exactly who she seems to be as Haven becomes unsure of what is happening.

The film is noir-telling of a murder and possible mystery involving the loss of $100 million and a couple’s disappearance that is re-told by a young filmmaker who hopes to create a film as great as those he’s inspired by. Yet, it is a film that blurs the world of fiction and reality as a filmmaker tries to create a film where there’s a man playing the same man who looks exactly like him. Steven Gaydos’ screenplay does play into the world of film noir while creating a storyline where it’s a film-within-a-film. It’s a premise that is interesting but also confusing since there’s characters who play doppelgangers of the story they’re portraying. Even as there’s this gorgeous ingenue who would meet this man and another man (Fabio Testi) in which the latter claims to be the dead woman’s father.

Though things start to make sense towards the end about what is going on, the payoff of the story isn’t very satisfying as the only reveal is what is happening in the film’s opening scene. Gaydos’ script does create a lot of interesting characters and utilize suspense in a nice way. The problem is that he creates a narrative where it tries to move back and forth into fiction and reality where it would end up confusing the audience into what they’re seeing.

Monte Hellman’s direction is truly mesmerizing in some of the making of the film scenes as well as the actual real-life story that occurs in the film. Maintaining the noir-like tone of the film for a lot of these re-enactments, Hellman’s approach to the scenery is very entrancing in the way its filmed and set-up. The way he opens the film is another moment that is interesting where it’s shot in a room featuring Post and Haven as they put in a DVD-R with the film’s title into a laptop as the camera slowly zooms into the scene they’re watching. There’s a lot of great moments in the direction including some of the making-of film scenes. Still, the script’s shortcomings involving the investigation and scenes involving the doppelgangers don’t really work despite the beautiful locations. Due to the script’s messy narrative and emphasis to be meta in its approach to reality and fiction, Hellman creates a film that is about the sum of its parts rather than the whole thing.

Cinematographer Joesp M. Civit does a brilliant job with the film‘s lush yet evocative digital photography that is shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II that truly breathes beauty into the look of the North Carolina locations along with more gorgeous work for some of the nighttime scenes in Europe. Editor Celine Ameslon does a nice job with the editing to play up the rhythm of the film‘s suspense without delving into more stylish rhythmic cuts while playing along to the film‘s unique although confusing story structure. Production designer Laurie Post, along with art directors Callie Andreadis and Araceli Lemos, does a terrific job with the look of the posh world of Hollywood as well as the more refined yet comfortable world of the North Carolina locations the characters work at for the film.

Costume designer Chelsea Staebell does some fine work with the costumes as most of it is casual with the exception of Laurel who puts on some very stylish clothes to play up her personality. Visual effects work by Joseph Schultz does some very good work with the minimal visual effects used in the film such as the scenes involving the plane. Sound editor Aynee Osborn does an excellent job with the sound work to convey the sense of dread and suspense that occurs including in some of the film‘s intimate moments. The film’s music consists of country songs performed by Tom Russell is wonderful as it plays to many of the film’s dramatic moments.

The film’s ensemble cast is great as it features some notable appearances from Fabio Testi as Velma’s father, John Diehl as the cop and actor who plays the cop in the incident scene, Rob Kolar as the film’s screenwriter, and film producer Peter Bart as himself for an interview scene with Haven. Waylon Payne is pretty good as the charming but nosy insurance investigator Bruno Brotherton who would uncover some mysteries about the actual story on the film that is being made. Dominique Swain is terrific as the lively journalist Nathalie Post who would help Brotherton in the investigation while providing insight about what might’ve happened. Cliff de Young is excellent in the dual roles of smarmy millionaire Rafe Tachen as well as the aging yet concerned actor Carey Stewart.

Tygh Runyan is good as filmmaker Mitchell Haven who is desperate to create a great film only to lose sight of his work as it’s a performance that has some moments though Runyan is sort of bland in his performance. Finally, there’s Shannyn Sossaman in a remarkable performance in the dual roles of Velma Duran and Laurel Graham. Sossaman brings a very ethereal and enchanting approach to her character who could be the same person while dealing with all of the chaos that goes on in the set and the mystery surrounding the incident.

Road to Nowhere is a decent but messy film from Monte Hellman despite some amazing scenes and a captivating performance from Shannyn Sossaman. While it is great to see Hellman back in the film world after a 21-year hiatus. It doesn’t mean that his return should be totally applauded due to the film’s indistinct script. Still, Road to Nowhere isn’t a total waste of time as it does feature some amazing nods to film noir and suspense told from one of indie cinema’s great masters.

Monte Hellman Films: (Beast from Haunted Cave) - (Flight to Fury) - (Back Door to Hell) - (Ride in the Whirlwind) - (The Shooting) - (Two-Lane Blacktop) - (Cockfighter) - (The Greatest (1977 film) - (China 9, Liberty 37) - (Avalanche Express) - (Iguana) - (Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out)

© thevoid99 2012