Ritter aus Leidenschaft (2001)

Ritter aus Leidenschaft: Directed by Brian Helgeland. With Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany. After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.

“This film shows without any quibbling just how bright the star of Heath Ledger was. He is luminous in this; beautiful, funny, physical and engaging. He plays excellently against the stunning Shannyn Sossamon, who fits perfectly into the modern medieval setting of this film. Set in the C14th a man of poor birth but sharp intellect rises through the ranks of page-dom with the desire to become a nobleman for food, fame, glory and love.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAn impressive ensemble cast including the superior Paul Bettany (Chaucer – you can see he had fun with this rather exposing (!) role), Rufus Sewell, Mark Addy, Christopher Cazenove, James Purefoy and Alan Tudyk provides a film that is nigh-on flawless for cinematography that is exciting and gripping, the screenplay – the script – is amazing, laugh out loud funny all the way through. Itu0026#39;s one of those films which require certain intelligence to get all the asides and witticisms, or numerous viewings to pick up on all of them, otherwise its still a funny and enjoyable film. With something for everyone this film is a joy to watch again and again, itu0026#39;s also attractive visually – many points to the costumers who mixed historical fashion with a modern edgy almost punk twist. Ditto the soundtrack – mixing in modern music was a clever touch, similar to Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrmann), and also an interesting look at fame and the cult of celebrity. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA great viewing experience which sometimes even brings a tear to my eye. If you donu0026#39;t enjoy this film, thereu0026#39;s something wrong with you. Ignore the haters, itu0026#39;s not supposed to be historically accurate or high-brow! Sometimes a feel-good, comfortable, Disney-esque story arc is just what you want.”