The 13th Warrior

Amazon.com

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

Description

Antonio Banderas (THE MASK OF ZORRO) brings huge star power to an immensely thrilling action-adventure from the hit-making director of DIE HARD and THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR! An exiled ambassador far from his homeland, Ahmed (Banderas) comes across a fierce band of warriors who are being attacked by ferocious creatures legendary for devouring all living things in their path! And when an old fortune-teller warns the combatants that they are doomed to failure without a 13th warrior, Ahmed is given no choice but to join their battle and help conquer the mysterious enemy! Suspenseful and endlessly exciting, this exhilarating hit is sure to thrill anyone who enjoys action on an epic scale!

Customer Reviews:

Barely qualifies as Fantasy.......2007-08-10

I watched this movie because I wanted to see a fantasy story. To me fantasy means something that does not exist or has not been proven to exist in our world. I'm not sure that this movie qualifies at all. Its only claim to the genre is that it is yet another adaptation of the ancient story of Beowulf and Grendel. Some villages are under attack from a mysterious race of creatures called the Wendol, which seem to be half-human, half-bear. They quickly turn out to be just a tribe of cannibalistic cave-dwelling savages who wear bear skins to terrify and confuse their victims.

The movie stars Antonio Banderas as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, an Arab who was exiled from his homeland and meets up with a group of vikings lead by Buliwyf. Then they spend the rest of the movie fighting the Wendol, one battle after another. Some of them die, some of them survive but I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. Ahmad ibn Fadlan was a real person who lived in the 10th century AD. This doesn't make the story any more interesting and just further dilutes fantasy aspect. Watch this movie if you like sword fights. The 13th Warrior has plenty.

The film is fun.......2007-07-27

The 13th Warrior is fun. The landscapes are sweeping, the northern village is entirely adequate, and the politics are personal. Any great messages? Beyond quests, swords & battles, and one's word, no. But the movie is highly enjoyable in the old Saturday afternoon at the movies style. Maybe mead ( or beer ) instead of popcorn, but hey.

It is of course based on Crichton's Eaters of the Dead, which in turn was based on Beowulf. The movie is seen through the eyes of a non Northerner who is brought along to rid a mead-hall of a curse, Grendal (loosely portrayed by a pack of Neanderthtals ), and the removal of Grendal's mother (loosely portrayed by a Goddess worshipping priesthood in decline). Perhaps this last bit is where so much objection comes to this movie. But this is just a movie, and may say more about Crichton's politics than anything else.

There is an early scene in the 13th Warrior of a Viking funeral, "in the old way", that appears well documented in the book The Buried Soul, by Timothy Taylor. Taylor is discussing the funeral as it was recorded by an Arab who was in the area at the time. That Crichton brought together the saga with the Arab account of the funeral works, and is an interesting take on history. Read Taylor's book, for the Viking funeral if nothing else.

This appears to be the origin of the "Lo, there do I see my father" prayer, although something similar is in Taylor's excellent book.

The 13th Warrior.......2007-07-21

I have watched this movie dozens of times. I like the action and charcters in the movie. The story line is good. Over all I liked the way the friendship developed between the characters. There was no mushy stuff, but good action and scenes.

A nice adaptation of 'Eaters of the Dead'.......2007-04-30

Far be it from me to quibble about the book Eaters of the Dead being better than its movie adaptation. However, I could easily have lived with a longer cut of this 'Beowulf epic'. Nevertheless, inspite of the evident & drastic culling of scenes, 'The 13th Warrior' remains a movie-goer's treat. Antonio Banderas continues to amaze me with his flair for subtle comedy. The rest of the cast too play their viking parts to near perfection. The action sequences and 'battle scenes' are down-to-the-earth raw (no CGI magic!), intelligently done, and immensely enjoyable. My recurring complaint being that the movie was about 30 minutes too short ...

Turn on your home-theater, kickback, relax, and enjoy the visuals for sheer entertainment value.

Set in a time long, long ago.......2007-04-16

I just watched this for the 2nd time to be sure. Simply the best Modern era, Viking type movie I have seen. Excellent story, good acting, action and a touch of realism with just enough movie effects. Well done cinematography and good, solid acting all around. Some nice attention to detail. I liked the "learning to speak the same language" and prayer sequence as well. These scenes are clever and very well done as examples. Tightly put together. An excellent tribute to the loosely, historical action / adventure films of the classic movie era. If you enjoy this you should probably see the 1958 (yes, way back to 58) movie The Vikings staring Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, and Janet Leigh. After that "a more distant maybe" the Long Ships. In any case, if you like good, rousing tales of yore type movies, you'll like this one.

Average customer rating:

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Beowulf
AN UNUSUAL ACTION FILM...

The 13th Warrior [Region 2]
Starring: Antonio Banderas , Vladimir Kulich , Dennis Storhøi , Daniel Southern , and Neil Maffin
Director: John McTiernan , and Michael Crichton
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Customer Reviews:

Slice slice--cut cut movie over........2006-06-20

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An Arab (Antonio Banderas) is indiscriminate in love. Caught in the act he is exiled along with his scrawny looking horse to Viking land. There he uses his unique abilities as the 13 Th warrior to give an edge in fighting the dragon.
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Yep the best slices and cuts are on the cutting room floor. At least the story line must have been left there. All that is left is a series of bloody encounters. Take the Vikings out of their furs and place them in Edwardian suits and you have "Sleepy Hollow" (1999). This movie has no resemblance to Beowulf and if any one says it does resemble Beowulf, you can be assured that they never read it. Oh! They both say "worm."

There is one redeeming value and that is the presence of Omar Sheriff who was in a better movie "Oh! Heavenly Dog" (1980) where he did not have to sit around looking dumb while waiting for the action. Actually Antonio Banderas was not too bad in "The Mask of Zorro" (1998) where he had a chance to act instead of slashing quasi-mythical bears.

If you took the blood away this movie would more resemble "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949) where Bing Crosby gets to ride his pony around the larger but slower Knights.

Beowulf.......2006-06-19

This movie, based on Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton, is an interesting adaptation of the story of Beowulf. For English lit buffs who enjoy the classical tale of a fearless warrior who battles demon spawn, this movie is an interesting experiment. While it is not true to all aspects of the tale of Beowulf, the way some of the elements of the story are adapted for a more "scientific" explanation of things is intruiging. For those who have read Cricton's book, this movie is pretty true to the book. I am rarely as impressed with a movie as I am with its literary counterpart, but this is a movie that is as good as its book. For viewers who don't care about Beowulf or Eaters of the Dead, this is a very cool movie anyway. There is plenty of suspense, blood, and fighting. It is a good adventure movie.

AN UNUSUAL ACTION FILM..........2006-06-18

I first saw this film in the theatres when it was first released, and I remember being disappointed at the time, as I did not particularly care for it. It was shown on television cable channel last night, and I thought, why not give it a second go around. Well, I am certainly glad that I did, as I enjoyed the film much more the second time around and can affirmatively say that I like it.

While the film is apparently based upon Michael Crichton's book, "Eaters of the Dead", having not, as yet, read this book, I had no pre-conceived notions about the storyline and have no idea whether or not it is or is not a faithful adaptation. All I can say is that I found it to be an enjoyable, though unusual, action film. Moreover, I do love Antonio Banderas, and I thought that he was particularly dreamy in the role of Ahmad Ibin Fahdlan, a young and exceedingly handsome, well-educated Arab, a poet made an ambassador and exiled from his homeland for having coveted another man's wife.

Ahmed, accompanied by a wily older man, Melchisidek (Omar Sharif), and a band of Arabs, comes across a ragtag group of Norsemen on a ship. With Melchisidek translating for him, Ahmed befriends them when they briefly come ashore, and while with them, the Norsemen get a bit of bad news from home by way of a messenger. It seems that an ancient enemy whose name they cannot even speak aloud, (the Wendols), are savaging their countrymen, and the Norsemen need to get back in a hurry to help. An oracle is consulted, and it seems that thirteen warriors must go back in order to fight successfully this flesh eating enemy. The thirteenth warrior, however, must not be a Norseman. Thus, Ahmed is reluctantly conscripted to fight this ancient evil.

Ahmed goes with them on their ship, heading North, and quickly learning their language. He ends up bonding with the friendly Norseman, Herger the Joyous (Dennis Storhoi). When they arrive at their destination, they see the ravages left by the Wendols and prepare for war against these beast-like beings that they believe to be supernatural in origin, due to the sheer savagery of their methods. There is a reason why they are referred to as eaters of the dead. Ahmed, initially fearful, eventually goes from being squeamish and a quivering bowl of jello in the face of attack to being a stalwart and courageous warrior. This transformation occurs when he discovers that the enemy is not a demon from the dark side but, rather, just a man, though not quite like him.

Antonio Banderas gives a wonderful performance as the sensitive Ahmed, infusing the role with both subtlety and strength. Omar Sharif makes the most of his very brief screen appearance. Dennis Storhoi is terrific in the role of Ahmed's charismatic Norse friend, the intrepid, seasoned warrior, Herger the Joyous. Asides from being an action film, it is also a sort of buddy movie, as well. The Wendols are appropriately fearsome, and some of the cinematography is breathtaking. While some of the sub-plots are not fully fleshed out and a little puzzling, this does not unduly detract from the overall enjoyment of the film. Of course, the viewer would do well to suspend disbelief over Ahmed's seeming overnight learning of the Norsemen's language, as well as over the concept of cavemen riding on horseback. Still, notwithstanding some of these little bumps in the road, this is a film that those who like the action genre will enjoy.

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"The 13th Warrior" has turned out to be one of my favorite B-movies

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Customer Reviews:

Slice slice--cut cut movie over........2006-04-11

"The 13th Warrior" has turned out to be one of my favorite B-movies.......2006-04-11

The first time I watched "The 13th Warrior" there came a point where I started rolling my eyes because it was clear that this movie 1999 movie was a combination of the epic story of "Beowulf," Akira Kurosawa's "Shichinin no samurai," and "The Clan of the Cave Bear." But to my surprise this movie has grown on me over the years, despite its flaw. Adapted by William Wisher, Jr. ("Terminator 2: Judgment Day") from the novel by Michael Crichton, it is clear early on that the primary sub-text is "Beowulf," since the 1st Warrior is named Buliwyf (Vladimir Kulich), leader of a band of Vikings. Now, if you are familiar with that ancient tale (which may not be a whole heck of a lot of people in modern America), you can figure out which characters represent Grendel and which his maternal unit. But then you notice that we have a band of warriors showing up to defend a place and when the big battle at the end takes place in the rain you know the film is borrowing heavily from "Shichinin no samurai." But then if you are going to borrow heavily from a film, that is certainly a great one to rip off.

The lead character is one we have seen before, although the name is not: Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan Ibn Al Abbas Ibn Rashid Ibn Hamad (Antonio Banderas). He's puny compared to these Norsemen, not to mention a stranger in a strange land where he can not speak the language (at first), but he's smart and brains can do what brawn can not. Our hero is forced to become the 13th warrior because some old crone rolls the bones and declares the final member of the party, who represent the number of months in a year under the lunar calendar, cannot be a Norseman. They do not speak Arabic and he does not speak Norse, but as they travel north together he learns to speak their language by listening. Nice little trick and even if his Arabian pony is considered a "dog" by the company and his scimitar a "toothpick," he proves himself to be worthy, even if he does not understand Viking politics and folk remedies.

The texture of this film comes from the dozen Vikings. You will have a hard time figuring out which Viking is which; even if you turn on the closed captioning they never refer to each other by name. You get to the end credits and you just cannot figure out who was who. The Vikings are played by unknown (and maybe even first time) actors, so it is not a conglomerate of recognizable faces and they are the best part of the film. I think my favorite is Dennis Storh?i as Herger the Joyous, but I am not sure if that is the character I think it is, which would be the one who speaks Latin at the beginning with Omar Sharif and first calls Bandaras' character "Ibn" (which means "son of") and later "Little Brother." It would be nice if this band of brothers had more recognizable names.

The bad guys in this film are basically a giant horde with the collective intelligence of your vegetable of choice with a tendency to disappear every time they are on the verge of total victory. This is to be expected when you are dealing with what I guess are supposed to be Neanderthals, which is where "The Clan of the Cave Bear" enters into the mix). The location photography is spectacular and there are several above average set pieces put together by director John McTiernan ("Die Hard") that rely on that standard staple of comedy in action films, namely Viking humor. Consequently, I know think this is a solid "B" movie worth at least one bag of popcorn. I just watched it again tonight and I will probably play the DVD one more time this year. Like I said, the darn thing has grown on me.

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Customer Reviews:

Slice slice--cut cut movie over........2006-06-08

An Arab (Antonio Banderas) is indiscriminate in love. Caught in the act he is exiled along with his scrawny looking horse to Viking land. There he uses his unique abilities as the 13 Th warrior to give an edge in fighting the dragon.
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Yep the best slices and cuts are on the cutting room floor. At least the story line must have been left there. All that is left is a series of bloody encounters. Take the Vikings out of their furs and place them in Edwardian suits and you have "Sleepy Hollow" (1999). This movie has no resemblance to Beowulf and if any one says it does resemble Beowulf, you can be assured that they never read it. Oh! They both say "worm."

There is one redeeming value and that is the presence of Omar Sheriff who was in a better movie "Oh! Heavenly Dog" (1980) where he did not have to sit around looking dumb while waiting for the action. Actually Antonio Banderas was not too bad in "The Mask of Zorro" (1998) where he had a chance to act instead of slashing quasi-mythical bears.

If you took the blood away this movie would more resemble "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949) where Bing Crosby gets to ride his pony around the larger but slower Knights.

Average customer rating:

The 13th Warrior/Instinct
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Donald Sutherland , Maura Tierney , and George Dzundza
Director: Jon Turteltaub , John McTiernan , and Michael Crichton
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Description

13th Warrior- Antonio Banderas (THE MASK OF ZORRO) brings huge star power to an immensely thrilling action-adventure from the hit-making director of DIE HARD and THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR! An exiled ambassador far from his homeland, Ahmed (Banderas) comes across a fierce band of warriors who are being attacked by ferocious creatures legendary for devouring all living things in their path! And when an old fortune-teller warns the combatants that they are doomed to failure without a 13th warrior, Ahmed is given no choice but to join their battle and help conquer the mysterious enemy! Suspenseful and endlessly exciting, this exhilarating hit is sure to thrill anyone who enjoys action on an epic scale! Instinct- Don't miss Academy Award(R)-winners Anthony Hopkins (Best Actor, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE INNOCENT) and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Best Supporting Actor, JERRY MAGUIRE, PEARL HARBOR) in this highly provocative psychological thriller from the hit-making director of PHENOMENON and WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING! In a prison for the criminally insane, deranged anthropologist Ethan Powell (Hopkins) is set to be examined by a bright young psychiatrist, Theo Caulder (Gooding). Driven by ambition and a hunger for the truth, Caulder will eventually risk everything -- even put his very life on the line -- in a harrowing attempt to understand the bizarre actions of this madman! Also starring Donald Sutherland (A TIME TO KILL, DISCLOSURE) and Maura Tierney (FORCES OF NATURE, LIAR LIAR) in a first-rate cast -- Powell and Caulder's adventure of the mind is a riveting journey of discovery ... no matter what the cost!

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