First Knight

Critics Consensus

This unimaginative reimagining of Arthurian legend dispenses with the magic without achieving a convincing realism in the bargain, suffering from fatal miscasting and a lack of romance.

43%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 46

55%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 166,070

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Movie Info

Handsome swordsman Lancelot (Richard Gere) is incredibly skilled at fighting, but when he meets the lovely Guinevere (Julia Ormond), he can't seem to get past her defenses. She is betrothed to King Arthur (Sean Connery) and plans to go ahead with the wedding, despite her attraction to Lancelot. When the devious warrior Malagant (Ben Cross) rises up against Arthur, Lancelot must try to put his feelings aside and defend his king, Guinevere and all of Camelot.
  • Rating:
    PG-13
  • Genre:
    adventure, romance, action
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Jerry Zucker
  • Producer:
    Jerry Zucker, Hunt Lowry
  • Writer:
    William Nicholson
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $36.7M
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Columbia Pictures Corporation
  • Sound Mix:
    Surround, Stereo

Cast & Crew

Sean Connery
King Arthur
Richard Gere
Lancelot
Julia Ormond
Guinevere
Ben Cross
Prince Malagant
Liam Cunningham
Agravaine
Christopher Villiers
Sir Kay
Valentine Pelka
Sir Patrise
Colin McCormack
Sir Mador
Ralph Ineson
Ralf
John Gielgud
Oswald
Jerry Zucker
Director
Jerry Zucker
Producer
Hunt Lowry
Producer
Gil Netter
Executive Producer
William Nicholson
Screenwriter
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News & Interviews for First Knight

Upcoming TV Fantasy Series That Could Be the Next Game of Thrones
Check Out the New "Wicker" Pics
Sean Connery Earns AFI’s Highest Honor
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Critic Reviews for First Knight

All Critics (46) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (26)

  • Quote not available.

    September 7, 2011 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

    Owen Gleiberman

    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic

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

    May 12, 2001 | Rating: 3.5/4

    Peter Travers

    Rolling Stone
    Top Critic

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

    February 13, 2001 | Full Review…

    Kenneth Turan

    Los Angeles Times
    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

    Todd McCarthy

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • Pillaged of such mainstays as Merlin and Morgan le Fay-as well as magic, majesty and depth-'Camelot' has become 'Camelite.'

    January 1, 2000 | Full Review…

    Rita Kempley

    Washington Post
    Top Critic

  • I've never seen a film -- whether it was based on a book, a play, or in this case a timeless legend -- treat its source material with such cavalier disregard.

    January 1, 2000

    John Teegarden

    Film.com
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (46)

Audience Reviews for First Knight

  • May 08, 2017
    Arthurian lore is deep with fascinating mythology that has been explored many times in many different ways. First Knight uses that lore and twists it into a romantic drama of sorts, to mostly mixed results. With the new King Arthur film just around the corner I thought it'd be interesting to take a look at some of the many adaptions of the lore that we have gotten in film and television. First Knight is an okay film if it were some random medieval story with different settings and characters, but it rarely lives up to the deep mythology it's based on. In First Knight we find Lancelot, a wanderer who's struggling to find a place in the world for his skills with a sword and with women. After Guinevere, soon-to-be bride of King Arthur, is nearly kidnapped, Lancelot steps in and saves her life. Naturally, he falls in love with Guinevere, and there you have the central plot thread of the film. Richard Gere plays Lancelot about as well as you could imagine he would. It's a similar character to that of Sean Connery's James Bond from the 60's, mostly just showing off his looks and skills, rather than doing something of significance. Of course, I bring that up because Connery plays Arthur, albeit a much, much older King Arthur than we usually get, especially considering Guinevere is around 25 years younger. A lot of the film's plot is pushed forward by the romance. Not dissimilar to Braveheart being centered around William Wallace's love for two women, First Knight is clearly a romance first and foremost. The main difference is that Braveheart chooses to have the romance inspire a remarkable story, where First Knight is solely focused on Lancelot's strive for Guinevere's heart. It's not necessarily the wrong way to tell a story with Lancelot & Arthur butting heads, but it's certainly not the most interesting one. It's hard not to fall for Richard Gere's charm as Lancelot and Julia Ormond's innocent and beautiful Guinevere, but it's far from a great medieval war film. There really isn't much war to this film anyway. The main conflict comes by way of Prince Malagant, someone from Arthur's side who went Rogue for reasons that typically influence someone to go Rogue, power, greed, among other things. These battle sequences are trivial at best, even when they try to be big and bold. It all just seems silly in the end. I think to sum it up best is to say that King Arthur doesn't use his sword, not once. +Solid romance -But there's no reason to have that swallow the story -Silly 5.4/10
    Thomas D Super Reviewer
  • Mar 23, 2012
    Not a serious historical piece (and what do we really know of Pendragon anyway?) but a children's fable extolling virtue, the Zuckers take a chance with this glittering fairy tale. Connery is the Arthur the story wants, or is it that we want Connery to be Arthur, its hard to tell. Gere supplies the dashing derring-do as Lancelot, and Ormond fills the difficult position of being torn between two lovers fetchingly.
    Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
  • May 23, 2010
    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.
    Conner R Super Reviewer
  • Sep 16, 2009
    I saw this one in the theatre and can't quite remember the whole film, but I do remember enjoying it.
    Jon L Super Reviewer
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