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First Knight (1995)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.2/10
Reviews Counted: 43
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 23

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 5.6/10
Critic Reviews: 15
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 7

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 150,270

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Movie Info

The tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is always ripe for retelling. In this rendition, the sexy Richard Gere is Sir Lancelot, threatening to supersede the aging King Arthur (Sean Connery) by winning the love of his young wife Guinivere (Julia Ormond). This update of the age-old legend succeeds on the strength of Gere's happy-go-lucky sex appeal, Ormond's gorgeous period costuming, and Connery's unbeatable wry nobility. The script focuses on the triangle of the three

Unrated, 2 min.

Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance, Comedy

Directed By: Jerry Zucker

In Theaters: Jul 7, 1995 Wide

On DVD: Oct 7, 1997

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

First Knight Trailer & Photos

Cast

Sean Connery
King Arthur
Richard Gere
Lancelot
Julia Ormond
Guinevere
Ben Cross
Malagant
Liam Cunningham
Sir Agravaine
Christopher Villiers
Sir Kay
Susan Breslau
Wedding Guest
Susannah Corbett
Young Woman in Crowd
John Gielgud
Oswald
Tom Lucy
Sir Sagramore
Valentine Pelka
Sir Patrise
Neville Phillips
Elder
Eric Stone
Guard
Ryan Todd
Young Lancelot
Charlotte Zucker
Bread Vendor
Mark Ryan
Challenger
Albie Woodington
Scout
Colin McCormack
Sir Mador
Ralph Ineson
Stuart Bunce

Critic Reviews for First Knight

All Critics (47) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (24) | DVD (8)

Whenever Zucker stops piling on battle scenes as if he were directing Braveheart, his film casts a romantic spell.

May 12, 2001 Comment

Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

Top Critic

Aside from casting Richard Gere as Lancelot, First Knight marches out as an agreeably intelligent, mature and well-mounted telling of the legendary King Arthur story.

February 13, 2001 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Top Critic

The problem for him[Gere], and the film, comes when the non-physical acting begins.

February 13, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times

| Comment

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

The movie is entertaining enough in its own way, and Sean Connery makes a splendid King Arthur, but compared with the earlier films[Rob Roy and Braveheart] this one seems thin and unconvincing.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comment

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

Bad acting, dumb dialogue, and confusing cinematography abound, creating one of the most shoddy Camelot stories to date.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: ReelViews

| Comment

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Top Critic

...lots of action and chivalrous pomp, but no magic.

January 1, 2000 Comment

Sean Means

Film.com

Top Critic

Extras include a commentary by director Jerry Zucker and producer Hunt Lowry, along with a second commentary that focuses on the Arthurian legend behind the film's story.

April 23, 2008 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide

| Comment

Brian Webster

Apollo Guide

While director Jerry Zucker seems to have been intent on dragging the film to the mushy middle, it's still more entertaining than most comparable Middle Ages-set movies.

April 23, 2008 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide

| Comment

Brian Webster

Apollo Guide

Goes for a pass as a shallow but occasionally rousing swordfighting flick with a handful of thoughtful scenes...has something those other pictures don't have: Sean Connery as King Arthur.

April 21, 2008 Comment

Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews Source: Groucho Reviews

This one is pure Hollywood.

April 16, 2008 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis

| Comment

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

Director Zucker is unsuccessful in trying to put a fresh angle on the familiar story, and he is not much helped by his romantic leads, Richard Gere and Julia Ormond.

August 16, 2005 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

The out-of-place [Richard] Gere doesn't do justice to the fine performance of [Julia] Ormond.

August 7, 2004 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

| Comment

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for First Knight

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Starts off mediocerly, but once Sean Connery enters the stage as the fabled King Arthur, the quality level is instantly raised. Richard Gere looks a bit misplaced as the fearless Sir Lancelot, and wouldn't have been my first pick for the role, but he still takes it on to the best of his abilities. As for Julia Ormond,

April 17, 2007

Mike S

Super Reviewer

Another terrible rendition of King Arthur. Turning the story into nothing more than a romantic threesome is just pure slander. To change the story to fit a movie is one thing, but this should've just left Arthur's name all together. The acting is terrible, quite possibly Sean Connery's worst performance and the usual Richard Gere treatment.

May 23, 2010