The 13th Warrior (1999)

What happened to The 13th Warrior? Directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard), it's the tale of young Arab ambassador Ahmahd ibn Fahdalan (Antonio Banderas), who's vanquished from his homeland for loving the wrong woman. On his journeys he associates with a ragtag group of Vikings who are traveling back to their homeland to confront a nefarious threat that's cloaked in such superstition they're forbidden to speak its name. It is prophesied by a witch doctor that 13 warriors must confront the evil; however, the 13th chosen man must not come from the north. Suddenly Banderas is forced into the breach, somewhat against his will. More poet than battle-worn warrior, he must not only fight the aggressors but come to terms with the unfamiliar Norse culture. What follows is a vigorous and brutal adventure reminiscent of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Sumptuous and invigorating battle sequences fill the screen from beginning to end as the brave Norsemen battle insurmountable odds.

Sounds good. So why did this film, once known as the Eaters of the Dead, sit on studio shelves for two years? Presumably because of the thoughtless editing that trimmed down the film to its bare bones, crafting an actionfest out of an epic. It's not often that you crave for a movie to be longer, but The 13th Warrior could've benefited from fleshing out of its subplots and characters. On the surface it's good eye candy with some fine pulse-quickening moments, and Banderas and the accompanying cast turn in sympathetic performances, epitomizing camaraderie in the face of impending doom. However, if you're looking for a good thematic tale from the Dark Ages (akin to Braveheart), you may be disappointed. --Jeremy Storey Amazon.com

My Gosh, Buy it TWICE!

Don't just buy this dvd. Buy two copies because you will wear out the first one quickly! This is my family's FAVORITE movie EVER! It is telling that in this film, Antonio Banderas is NOT the hottest guy in the movie! In fact, he can be annoying in it. This movie needed to be longer. Maybe a few hours longer. And the leader's name is Buliwhys, not Bulvine. Just buy it. October 13, 2008

For shame, Hollywood

As everyone else has pointed out: this could have been the greatest epic adventure motion picture ever made. The acting and plot is far more robust and interesting than in, say the LoTR movies. But alas, some dunderheads in Hollywood cut the thing down to an hour and a half. It's obvious everywhere. How do they go from boat to horseback to boat again? The connecting scene is on the cutting floor somewhere. If it was like the rest of the movie, it was great fun. This is tragic and disgusting, and all too typical of a Hollywood that hates what is true and good and brave, but at least we have what is left.

The story is by Michael Chrichton: an interesting combination of historical documents on the Viking Rus by an actual Arab ambassador named Ahmed Ibn Fadlan (who is fictionalized into the story, and portrayed by Antonio Banderas) and the epic of Beowulf. But really, it's hard to follow the story the horrible way they cut it. You watch it because it's a bunch of jolly Vikings drinking, fighting and having adventures. I'd watch these guys go to the 7-11 and pick up a gallon of milk, because they are manly and awesome. Some of the scenes and quotes in this movie are among the most glorious in all of cinema. It makes me sad for what this movie could have been.
July 26, 2008

Good movie

I like this movie. probably is not the best screenplay, the best cinematography, it did not win an Oscar (obviously), but I think it was, since my particular point of view ,a movie that I enjoyed since the first time it came out in theaters. I had been looking this movie since so long and only up to friend recommended me to look for in Amazon.com it was when I could finally find it and I really enjoyed it the next time I played it in my DVD. Good movie, good action scenes, excellent remasterized sound (Dlby digital) and excellent characterization of Antonio Banderas trying to learn a foreign lenguage, it was funny when at the end everybody speaks a kind of english. Well, hopefully in the real life we would learn a foreign lenguage so quick ;)
this movie was made for entertainment only, if you are expecting for a highly artistic and epic movie,well my friend, I aware since now: don't waste your money because probably you will be disappointed. But ,if you are looking for something to watch in one of those evenings when nothing good is happening on the T.V, then, this is the movie you have been looking for.
April 24, 2008

a Beowulf (re)telling worth the time . . . over and over again

Several weeks ago, I reviewed the recently released, epic disaster Beowulf. At that time I indicated that---among many other things the movie prompted me to do---one was to watch The 13th Warrior yet again to "wash my mind out and refocus on a really well done telling of the Beowulf legend." Well, just this evening I watched it yet again. I will NEVER tire of watching this film. Every time I watch it, something new/never-before-seen catches my eye in terms of how the story is (re)told. It is one of the richest films I have seen in many years: from the sheer glory of the story told to its relation to historical fact to the use of scene to create and then emphasize those details which weld the story to your heart to the adaptation of/to foreign language learning to the story-telling (diegetic) qualities of the music. The film is rife with features that appeal to all audiences. I have not met anyone who did not love the film.

While an adventure story par excellence, the film is consistent with creator Crichton's other works in that it provides a realistic interpretation of what has become myth and legend. There are no monsters other than the apparently monstrous men seeking to defend what they see as their own way of life on which others are encroaching and adversely affecting; there are no superheroes other than the men and women willing to stand against what they believe to be ravenous oppressors. And it is around this universal theme that a wonderfully "illustrated" story is told from the perspective of a lone Arab poet-ambassador-become-unwilling-warrior. This is not beyond the realm of possibility: Gwyn Jones---in his work, A History of the Vikings---documents the extensive interaction between the Norsemen and the Arab cultures around the rivers and seas of Inner Asia.

It pays to be attentive to all of the film-story elements: facial expressions, dialogue, action sequences. There are many that repeat themselves in different contexts, relying on the earlier moments to give the later ones a higher level of meaning and credence. Consider just two: (1) the "only an Arab would bring a dog to war" motif which resurfaces several times over as (a) the now understood derisive remark, (b) the "jumping dog" moment which overcomes the derision of the earlier "joke," (c) the Arab on his "jumping dog" leaving the stockade to rescue a child when no-one else will move, (d) the real dog which is attached to the Beowulf character; and (2) the ability to draw words and stories which (a) can later be redrawn and recited back, (a) that can make a poor warrior "wealthy," and (b) which can grant immortality---which highlights the subtle implication that the Arab character, who happens also to be a poet, might well have been the author of what we today know as Beowulf.

While the film is not "perfect, the only serious flaw, in my mind, is the computer animated sequence of the Norse ship at sea. But for that, I find the movie wholly believable, not requiring a substantial "willing suspension of disbelief."
April 13, 2008

it's real

This movie isn't a fantasy -- it's about real things -- courage, and living life with great intensity. When Banderas kneels in the mud to pray for the ability to "live the next five minutes well," I got goosebumps. And when the Vikings, led by Bulvi (sp), who has almost literally come back from the dead to face his ultimate foe -- and ultimately Banderas -- step out to face the enemy's last charge -- the movie transcended film and move to the mythic level that permeates real life -- if we let it. March 2, 2008

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