The Most Underrated Movie of Heath Ledger’s Career Gallops Onto a Free Streamer Next Month
In 2008, we lost a legend far too soon when Heath Ledger passed away. The actor left audiences with two movies to round out his legacy in the cinematic world — courtesy of Christopher Nolan’s critically-acclaimed Batman-centered film, The Dark Knight, and Terry Gilliam’s fantastical and trippy romp, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which used the talents of Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell to complete the film following Ledger’s unexpected death. But, when one digs further into Ledger’s earlier career, before the Oscar recognition and drama-heavy roles, they’ll find one of his iconic films floating around in the collection of hits. Movies like 10 Things I Hate About You defined a generation, but it was with his 2001 film, A Knight’s Tale, that Ledger rocked that same generation. Beginning on January 1, audiences will be able to stream the modern medieval classic completely free of charge when it arrives on Tubi.
The perfect blend of throwback and turn-of-the-century, A Knight’s Tale charts the course of an aspiring knight named William Thatcher (Ledger), as he goes on a journey to prove that he’s more than a peasant squire. By competing in one tournament after another, William rises through the ranks of celebrated fighters all while crossing paths with some familiar faces from history like Paul Bettany’s Geoffrey Chaucer and James Purefoy’s Edward the Black Prince.
But don’t let its title or 14th century setting fool you. A Knight’s Tale wasn’t a run-of-the-mill drab jousting movie. Instead, filmmaker Brian Helgeland leaned into a much more modern vibe that allowed him to include a mix of timeless rock n’ roll classics in the soundtrack with the tunes of Queen, David Bowie, Heart, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and Third Eye Blind riding beside the would-be knight on his way to glory.
Paul Bettany’s Recent Reflections on ‘A Knight’s Tale’
For so many of the film’s young stars, A Knight’s Tale is now one of the foundational stepping stones of their now long-running careers. Such can be said for Bettany, who began his rise to prominence through the punchy fictional historical drama. Recently, the WandaVision actor opened up about what the film means to him, telling those in attendance at LA Comic Con that the movie felt like “another lifetime ago.” When asked about how he views A Knight’s Tale now, Bettany admitted that he hasn’t seen it in ages since it came out more than two decades ago in 2001. At the heart of it, Bettany admitted that he hasn’t done a rewatch in years because “I miss Heath too much” — a sentiment that has been previously echoed by the late actor’s other co-stars, including 10 Things I Hate About You’s Julia Stiles and Brokeback Mountain’s Jake Gyllenhaal.
Celebrate the life and career of the late, great Ledger when A Knight’s Tale rides onto Tubi on January 1.
Release Date
May 11, 2001
Runtime
133 minutes
Director
Brian Helgeland
Writers
Brian Helgeland
Producers
Tim Van Rellim, Todd Black, Brian Helgeland
