A Knight's Tale (2001)

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The movie opens in Medieval France; squires William (Heath Ledger), Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk) discover that their

master, Sir Ector has died in the middle of a jousting tournament. Sir Ector had been in the lead of the tournament and only needs to finish the final round in order to win.
 
Since the squires depend of the winnings from the tournament to eat, William decides to take Sir Ector’s armor and assumes his identity in the tournament. Despite William’s inexperience, he manages to finish the final round, winning the tournament.
 
Inspired by his victory in the tournament, William tries to convince his fellow squires that with the proper training they could make a living jousting. While Roland and Wat are doubtful of William’s plan, they eventually agree to help William train. After a month of training, William decides that he is ready to compete.
 
As the trio travels to their first tournament in Rouen, they discover a naked traveller named Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer informs William

that it is illegal for peasants to joust and that he will need a patent of nobility if he wishes to compete. Chaucer offers to forge one such patent if William clothes and feeds him.
 
With Chaucer’s help, William joins the tournament under the assumed name Ulrich von Liechtenstein from Gelderland. With the help of Chaucer, Roland and Wat, William wins match after match. Eventually William’s armor sustains damage during a joust. William enlists the help of female backsmith Kate (Laura Fraser) who crafts for William a revolutionary light-weight armor.
 
During a jousting match William meets Sir Thomas Colville (James Purefoy). William deals Colville a crippling blow, but instead of finishing him off, William agrees to a draw to preserve the honor of Colville.
 
William meets the noble lady Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon) and immediately is taken by her beauty. Unbeknownst to William, renowned jouster Count Adhemar also desires Jocelyn. The two men begin a rivalry to win the affections of the lady. William and Adhemar meet in a tournament and Adhemar defeats William, winning the tournament.
 
In the following tournament, William and Adhemar are both scheduled to tilt against Sir Thomas Collville. At the last minute, Adhemar withdraws from the tournament after discovering that Collville’s true identity is that of Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales. William,

however, is not intimidated by the prince and jousts Edward. William defeats Edward, winning both the tournament and Edward’s respect.
 
Meanwhile, William meets with Jocelyn and asks her what he must do to prove his love. She tells William that if he truly loves her, he will overcome his pride and lose the next tournament. After this William openly accepts lose after lose. Not wanting to see William beaten again and again, Jocelyn tells William that he must win. William wins the tournament and the affections of Jocelyn.
 
William and his followers travel to London to joust in the world championship. William flashes back to a memory from his childhood; his father put him in the service of Sir Ector so that he could eventually become a knight and “change his stars.”
 
William, who had assumed that his father was dead, returns to his family home and finds that his father is alive. He visits his father and tells him that he was able to change is stars. His father is overcome with joy.
 
Adhemar arrives in London armed with the knowledge that William is an impostor. He alerts the authorities and William becomes a wanted man. William friends urge him to flee, but he refuses to run. William is arrested and put into the stocks. Before he can be sentenced, Prince Edward arrives and orders William to be released. Edward knights William, dubbing him “Sir William.” With William’s nobility restored, he is once again allowed to join the tournament.
 

Adhemar and William face off in the final round of the tournament. Adhemar cheats by using an illegal lance with a sharpened tip. He stabs William in the shoulder with the lance, injuring him. This injury prevents William from grasping his lance property while wearing armor. Against the advice of his friends, William decides to remove his armor for his final match.
 
William and Adhemar charge towards each other for one final match. Accepting his true identity, William shouts his name and knocks Adhemar from his horse. Jocelyn runs out onto the pitch and embraces William in a long kiss.