A Knight's Tale

By RICHARD SCHICKEL

Any movie that begins with Queen's We Will Rock You underscoring a 14th century jousting tournament can't be all bad. Unfortunately, writer-director Helgeland's story of a peasant lad (Heath Ledger, The Patriot's young hunk) who uses knightly skills to attempt a rise above his station is not all good either: it can't decide whether to go all out for anachronistic humor or stick to its historical onions. The result is half Python, half Ivanhoe--and not as much fun as either.

--By Richard Schickel