The 10 Best Knight Movies For Every Medieval Fan

1. Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut) (2005)

• Director: Ridley Scott
• Writer: William Monahan
• Cast: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Edward Norton, Ghassan Massoud

Okay, you really should only watch the Director's Cut, which is a masterpiece. The film is set during the Crusades of the 12th century. It follows Balian (Bloom), a blacksmith grieving the death of his family. He is found by his father, Godfrey of Ibelin (Neeson), who brings him to the Holy Land to fight. Balian eventually finds himself defending the city of Jerusalem against the legendary Muslim leader Saladin. It's an epic movie that was you with every frame.

2. 'The Green Knight' (2021)

• Director: David Lowery
• Writer: David Lowery (based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)
• Cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Ralph Ineson

I feel like this movie was so talked about when it came out, mostly for its ending. It was an atmospheric retelling of the 14th-century poem where Sir Gawain (Patel), King Arthur's reckless nephew, embarks on a daring quest to confront the titular Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. It's a psychological journey about the nature of courage and the inevitability of one's fate.

3. 'The King' (2019)

• Director: David Michôd
• Writers: David Michôd, Joel Edgerton (based on William Shakespeare's Henriad)
• Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson, Sean Harris, Lily-Rose Depp

I love this gritty reimagining of the life of Henry V. We follow Young Hal, a wayward prince who ascends the English throne after his father's death. He has to navigate palace politics and a brewing war with France, culminating in the brutal Battle of Agincourt. The film is a look into how cold the era was and how unforgiving.

4. 'Excalibur' (1981)

• Director: John Boorman
• Writers: Rospo Pallenberg, John Boorman (based on Le Morte d'Arthur)
• Cast: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Liam Neeson

I think this is the most underrated movie on this list. It's basically the definitive cinematic Arthurian legend. Excalibur tracks the life of King Arthur from his birth to his final battle. It is a visually stunning experience that leans heavily into the mythic and magical elements of the Round Table. It's a fantasy, but it also helps us engage with the idea of the real weight of the kingdom.

5. 'The Last Duel' (2021)

• Director: Ridley Scott
• Writers: Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
• Cast: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck

Based on a true story, this historical drama centers on the last legally sanctioned judicial duel in France. In the movie, Jean de Carrouges (Damon), a respected knight, challenges his friend and rival Jacques le Gris (Driver) to a duel to the death after Carrouges' wife, Marguerite (Comer), accuses le Gris of rape. The story is told through three different perspectives, revealing the dark social realities of 14th-century France. It's an incredible film everyone should see.

6. 'A Knight’s Tale' (2001)

• Director/Writer: Brian Helgeland
• Cast: Heath Ledger, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk

This movie was so crazy when it came out. It felt like every girl in my high school was going to see it on the weekends. It made Heath Ledger a star. William Thatcher (Ledger) is a peasant squire who poses as a knight to compete in jousting tournaments. Alongside a hilarious version of Geoffrey Chaucer (Bettany), William attempts to "change his stars" and win the heart of a noblewoman. It’s a feel-good underdog story that captures the adrenaline of the sport like no other.

7. 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' (1975)

• Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
• Writers/Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin

The ultimate parody movie of knightly tropes and kings. King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table embark on a low-budget search for the Holy Grail, and they encounter everything from a killer rabbit to the Knights Who Say "Ni!" The dirty aesthetic actually became a major influence on how "realistic" medieval movies were filmed for decades to follow, even though it was a comedy.

8. 'Ran' (1985)

• Director: Akira Kurosawa
• Writers: Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Masato Ide (based on King Lear)
• Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryu, Mieko Harada

Kurosawa’s late-career masterpiece adapts Shakespeare’s King Lear to feudal Japan. We follow an aging Great Lord who decides to divide his kingdom among his three sons. The King is betrayed as his legacy descends into "Ran" (chaos). While it features samurai rather than European knights, the themes of honor, betrayal, and the devastation of war are quintessential to the genre.

9. 'The Seventh Seal' (1957)

• Director/Writer: Ingmar Bergman
• Cast: Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bibi Andersson, Bengt Ekerot

A landmark of world cinema and a movie everyone should see in their lifetime. We follow a knight (von Sydow) who returns from the Crusades to find his homeland ravaged by the Black Plague. When Death (Ekerot) comes for him, the knight challenges him to a game of chess to buy time and find meaning in a world that feels abandoned by God. It is a profound, philosophical exploration of faith and mortality.

10. 'El Cid' (1961)

• Director: Anthony Mann
• Writers: Fredric M. Frank, Philip Yordan, Ben Barzman
• Cast: Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone, Geneviève Page

The quintessential "Big Hollywood" historical epic that I wish they would bring back. Charlton Heston stars as Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the 11th-century Castilian knight who sought to unite a divided Spain against a common invader. It's a story of massive scale, featuring breathtaking landscapes and some of the most impressive practical battle sequences ever captured on film.

Summing It All Up 

These films showcase our fascination with the medieval and the heroes that era allows us to put on the screen.

I love how they show us knights and their behaviors, and range in genres from epics to comedies.

But I may have left some of your favorites off the list.