The 13th Warrior Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Fear reigns.
An Ordinary Man...An Extraordinary Journey!
Prey for the living.
In AD 922, an important emissary who is banished from his homeland. The nomadic outcast comes across a band of Norse warriors who coerce him into joining them when they are summoned to fight mysterious creatures legendary for consuming every living thing in their path. Eventually surrounded by the frightening and ferocious foe, Ibn must conquer his personal fears and help battle the illusive invaders—who emerge out of the shroud of fog in the black of the night.
| Antonio Banderas | Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan Ibn Al Abbas Ibn Rashid Ibn Hamad |
| Diane Venora | |
| Dennis Storhoi | Herger the Joyous |
| Omar Sharif | Melchisidek |
| Vladimir Kulich | Buliwyf/The 1st Warrior |
| Daniel Southern | Edgtho the Silent |
| Neil Maffin | Roneth the Rider |
| John DeSantis | Ragnar the Dour |
| Clive Russell | Helfdane the Fat |
| Mischa Hausserman | Rethel the Archer |
| Oliver Sveinall | Haltaf the Boy |
| Asbjørn 'Bear' Riis | Halga the Wise |
| Richard Bremmer | Skeld the Superstitious |
| Tony Curran | Weath the Musician |
| Albie Woodington | Hyglak the Quarrelsome |
| Erick Avari | Hosein, Caravan Leader |
| John McTiernan |
| Michael Crichton |
6.20 out of 10 (27064 votes)
Visitor Reviews
What's the Point
posted on 20 Aug 2009I was really psyched to rent this puppy. I haven't seen a good battle sequence since....Braveheart? And that was no hell. Anyways, I digress. I was truly hoping '13th Warrior' was going to be one of those rare rental treats. I'll make the review short and to the point - it was a waste of time. I think I may have taken a bit more away from the flick if I had read Crighton's book but it was still all over the place. The battle scenes were mediocre if not laughable. One thing that stood out though....was Williams Lake BC!! I spent two summers there and immediately recognized the clearcuts they were shooting on. I mean not the exact clearcut or anything but the 'feel' of the land. OK that's it. Liked the clearcuts. The movie sucked dead cow farts.
The Big Flick of Sheer Manliness
posted on 18 Aug 2009I LOVE this movie!! Antonio Banderas teams up with a dozen vikings and kicks butt through the rest of the flick. The viking chieftain, Buliwyf, is a character that I don't think I'll ever forget. He's the manliest man I've ever seen on film. This is one of those rare films where the casting is absolutely perfect.
The cast meshes wonderfully and the characters and their interactions are quite believable. Reading some of the other reviews makes me wonder if I saw the same movie. DEFINITELY worth picking up on DVD. I have it and I've watched it a dozen times.
Take historical manuscript, mix with famous myth, stir
posted on 10 Aug 2009Awesome! Totally awesome! One of the most exhilarating movies I've ever seen! Far better than any of the so-called
blockbusters that crashed down upon us earlier this summer. This was one cool film, and from one of my favorite books (usually when a book I love gets filmed, I want to puke).Crichton takes the manuscript of Ibn Fadhlan (one of the most important documents in history, an eyewitness account of Vikings by an Arab diplomat who was kidnapped by them while on a mission to the Bulgars--from which anthropologists got the eyewitness account of a Viking funeral) and combines it with the story of Beowulf, changed a bit to make the monsters into men. Parts of the book has been changed to make them more visual for the film, but the result is an amazing array of images masterfully woven into a rich tapestry of 10th Century heroism. Okay, the armor sucks--there's no reason to put Buliwyf/Beowulf into gothic plate other then to give the film a Boris Valejo flare. Other then that, however, it is truly stunning. There is a sense here both of the barbarism of the Vikings as Ibn Fadhlan first encounters them, and the heroism and spirit he finds as he gets to know them and, eventually, becomes one of them. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!
one of the best viking movies
posted on 10 Aug 2009I think this is one of the best viking movies, along with The Vikings and The Long Ships. It contained enough "sword and sorcery" content to be the best "Conan" movie that didn't have Conan in it. Also, if a reasonably accurate version of Marvel's "The Mighty Thor" was ever filmed, the actor who played Buliwyf would be perfect in the role--with a little more dialog coaching in English. The settings were realistic, the brave and wise "philosophy" of the vikings was well presented, the action/battle scenes were well done. It seems like a minimum of gratuitous special effects were used. This is a very good overlooked film in an overlooked genre. We need less Romans, Persians, Greeks, etc. More Norsemen!
Don't miss the point
posted on 06 Aug 2009Most of the comments I saw on 13-th warrior were negative - either the plot is hollow, or Gladiator is better, etc. OK, Gladiator is a better gladiator show, and there are better plots, and battle scenes and guys speaking Hjfghdueiueonian language from the start till the end, really consistently. (Can anybody tell me though why Hamlet or Maximus, if you insist, so consistently speak English?) But to me this is a real fairy tale - about dignity, friendship and much much more. There could be a poor plot and a great film, not so fancy costumes and a great film. So I usually give 10/10 for anything I like very much, despite the shortcomings, and 1/10 for anything that is ridiculous and boring and irritating. The Thirteenth Warrior - maybe 1/10 for speaking something instead of something, 3/10 as a gladiator film, and 10/10 for The Thirteenth Warrior.
Loved this movie!(spoiler)
posted on 19 Jul 2009With all the pre-release disputes about this movie I expected it to be just
an adequate film, but to my surprise I fell in love with all the characters, the scenery, and nonstop action. The fight scenes were incredible, a little gorey, but very effective. I loved Antonio Banderas, his liveliness and expressions, and also, Dennis Storhoi he was an incredible actor and perfect for this part!!! I give it all the stars I can!
Awesome movie to see with friends and have a good time watching it
posted on 23 Jun 2009This is one great movie. I believe its one of the first, if not the first, epic movie of the new line of movies. i mean that this is the first modern movie, before the gladiator, to have big fight scenes, and war like action. i love it. nice characters, well chiseled, nice story and plot, you can watch it over and over again without being bored, well at least i can. The evolution of the main character is done very well, and not only that Banderas is not really the main character if you really watch the movie, hes just the guy that goes along with the vikings to their land because that bone oracle said so, and there he doesn't do much just help kill thous things, but the story is seen through his eyes, he is the character we can identify with, he knows as much as we do bout whats going on. great movie, nice ending
The 7 Samurai go North?
posted on 19 Jun 2009This movie was supposedly taken from a Michael Chrichton book, but it looked to me like a scene-for-scene remake of the Seven Samurai. Even the wooden stockade and tall peaked houses were the same. The fighters were not so sophisticated, but miraculously there were more of them left at the end, since there were thirteen instead of seven to start with.For a Nordic/Celtic fantasy battle film, it was more convincing than many - not that it made any sense. It had great looking warriors, costumes, and sets, and some nice touches - learning Norse, the boy messenger. I could watch more films shot in British Columbia! I kept getting irritated by the cramped framing, but the general momentum of the picture was fine, with a nice shot of the boat in the fjord at the end. Antonio Banderas doesn't much resemble an Arab, but he is cute as a button, so I'm not complaining, just so no-one tries to persuade me this was a *good* movie.
Good, but could be just a little better...
posted on 17 Jun 2009My particular favourite in this movie is to see how this arabian diplomat learns the tongue of the old norse... Being from sweden myself it humoured me that the vikings actually speak correctly in the beginning, and then slowly switched language (word for word) to english as the 13th warrior himself started understanding more and more... The fighting is cool, the monsters are vicious, the movie is good...Historically the vikings are for once portrayed very realisticly, apart from some minor details that 'normal' people would never think of. But of course... Why would they not be correctly pictured, given that the movie is closely based on the beowulf saga...
What was the point?
posted on 22 May 2009All I have to say is, what was the point of making this film??? All it was was two hours of wasted celluloid. This story should have stayed in the pages of the novel. Don't get me wrong, I like Antonio, but he alone could not save this film. And how the hell did the man who created two of the greatest action films of the 80's and perhaps all time (Predator and Die Hard), John McTiernan, get involved with such a piece of hot, steamy doggy doo? Some things just don't make sense. All in all, the film made no sense, I had no sympathy for the characters, the climax was weak and the acting wasn't all that great. The only good things I can say existed in the movie were the battle scenes (those weren't even that good) and Jerry Goldsmiths' score (best part of the movie). In short: save your nine bucks and watch paint dry instead. Thats a bit more entertaining.
Bringing civilization to Western Europe.
posted on 20 May 2009Loved the movie, saw it twice. Great action with enough plot to keep it interesting. Found it very interesting that a major studio would acknowledge that Mohammed's Arabia was the center of literature, culture and civilization in the middle ages while Western Europeans were living in mud huts or caves. Also loved the sequence showing him learning their language.
Lots of levels on which to enjoy this film. 8/10
Quick History Lesson
posted on 20 May 2009An amazing film loaded with history and educated conjecture from one of
Hollywood's best writer/directors. The uninformed might miss some of the film's subtleties, but the accuracy and depth of the historical research
is enough by itself to make the film worth repeated viewings. The use of an Islamic hero makes for a tough sell in today's times, but this is a wonderful and woefully overlooked movie that should be seen by anyone interested in medieval history or just a good action film.
Amazed
posted on 18 May 2009When i had a look on the cover, I though this couldn't be that great of a movie. And apparently by speaking with friends, they told me it wasn't that great, however none of them have ever watched it. I had a hard time recognize the language used in the beginning, finding out it is Latin and Arab. When it comes to the Vikings, I as a Norwegian couldn't get a complete hand on what they spoke, but took a guess it might have been some kind of Danish. However when the Kings son spoke, I could confirm that Norwegian was spoken in this movie. For me, I don't really know many "Big movies" containing Norwegian, so this was a nice surprise. To bad it didn't last the whole movie, but it still beats X-Files episode where they travel to Norway, but where they speak Danish.The language was basically the biggest thrill for me, but still this movie manage to have a fair deal of action. A little setback for me was that I expected some "real" fighting, and not against some bear people. I give this movie 7.
great
posted on 16 May 2009this movie must be one of the best I've seen to this day and hope they make a uncut but i don't think they will 10/10 for me shouldn't be anything under 8 this movie has most of what you want in a movie i know there is some missing but you will get over that once you watch it for years and years I've been watching it since it came out still love it i know I'm sad but its a great movie anyone looking for a good movie should watch this and I'm sure you will love it there needs to be more movies like this one good ones i mean ah i could good on for days but I'm not telling anyone to go out and buy 10 copies or nothing but its a buy movie trust me :) thanks
Vikings, Antonio, swords - terrific movie!
posted on 12 May 2009I really enjoyed this movie. It had action, adventure, thrills, chills, humor, swords, Vikings, and Antonio. That puts it on my A list. I think Antonio did a wonderful job as the Arab poet stuck in the middle of group of Vikings. And the actors playing the Vikings were great. Never share a bowl of water in the morning with barbarians. {shudder}
Scandinavian myths and mysteries, brought in a very decent way.
posted on 08 May 2009I guess every region has its own legends and saga's, but I've always found the Scandinavian legends about trolls, monsters and ghosts even more intriguing and interesting as ours. It's no wonder that these people have created these legends once. If you've been there and if you've seen the impressive nature with its immense forests and lakes, the fact that the sun never rises in winter and stays 24 hours a day in summer... makes it easy to understand why this is the land of such creatures.The movie tells the story of an Arab courtier / diplomat who was sent to the barbaric North as a punishment for falling in love with the wrong woman. In AD 922, this could be seen as an execution, because there was no way he would return (it's the same reason why the Catholic Church sent people who had committed awful sins, as pilgrims from our region to Santiago De Compostella in Spain). When they are about to get robbed and killed somewhere in the fields, they manage to escape and accidentally stumble upon a group of Vikings, which saves their lives, because the Barbarians are terrified of these vicious warriors from the North. They soon get befriended and are able to stay with the Vikings, when a young boy, a messenger from the North, comes to the Vikings to ask for help. In their home country many people die because of "an evil whose name should not be pronounced". They consult an oracle who tells them that they should send 13 warriors, but that one of them shouldn't be a Viking. The Arab, however not believing that these mythical creatures from the forests really exist, joins them in their battle against the Wendol...Normally I'm not too much of a fan of Antonio Banderas' work, but this time I really liked him as the Arab with the impressive name of Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan Ibn Al Abbas Ibn Rashid Ibn Hamad (I guess you better don't try to say that 10 times in a row). The other actors all did a very good job as well, even though I have to admit that I've never heard of most of them before.The story is nice and well written, the way it was all shot is done properly and overall I must say that I really enjoyed watching this movie. I'm sure that many will not agree, but personally I liked it more than the "The Lord of the Rings" movies. I like legends and mystery in movies and this movie gave me both. I give it a 7.5/10.
A great Vikings film
posted on 06 May 2009As a John McTiernan fan of his previous films such as Die Hard and Predator, and a studier of Norse mythology, I decided to see this film. I may have come late, but I have to say that once again Mr. McTiernan has delivered another great film of bloody and gritty action, and some surprisingly well incorporated Norse mythology.The Thirteenth Warrior is based off of Michael Crichton's novel "Eaters of the Dead" and the true story of Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan Ibn Al Abbas Ibn Rashid Ibn Hamad (try to sat that three times really fast). The story explores an "ancient evil" that is not named, known as the Wendol (pronounced with a v) that are cannibals whom are described as having "teeth like a lion, figure of a man, and a head like a bear with claws" that slaughter anyone who comes across their path.Ibn (as I call him), an Arabic ambassador, is chosen as the thirteenth warrior to accompany a band of a dozen twelve brave vikings. They are sent to the north to assist the ravaged villages and defeat the Wendol.This is a great film that explores both action and heavy Norse mythology (as stated in the first paragraph). It may sound comical that Antonio Banderas plays an Arab, but he gives a very descent performance as a man of politics who transform into an unexpected hero. Vladimir Kulich also gave a very strong performance as the head of the twelve vikings, Buliwyf. The rest of the cast was simply good as well, giving off both humor and testosterone. The camera work was both thrilling and dangerous, which reminded me very much of the intense camera angles in Predator.The scenery and cinematography is superbly crafted, the heart racing score of Jerry Goldsmith (may he rest in peace) was both haunting and moving. the battle sequences were smaller, (no where in the league of Lord of the Rings) but they were exciting and intense with plenty of bloodshed. And I also have to mention that the make up job was very well done from the wigs to the scars that the warriors gained and held throughout the film.However, the first half hour of the film was somewhat hard to follow, due to the fact that the dialog was in different languages and hard to follow while other cast members such as a surprise appearance of Omar Sharif, was trying to interrupt the happenings to Banderas' character, as well as to the audience. The film I might add was a bit too short, and over way to quickly, making it more of an action flick rather than an epic like Braveheart or Gladiator, and a few intermediate stories were not solved fully.other than those flaws, i was deeply satisfied. 4/5
Nice to look at, mediocre to watch
posted on 02 May 2009I'll probably be reiterating what many people have already said, but the 13th Warrior is a very good-looking film, and it is also well-acted... the story does leave something to be desired, but on the whole, it wasn't a waste of my time.The look of this film was fabulous. The medieval setting, the mists, the landscapes and scenery all came together into a beautiful whole. It was almost enchanting to watch the shots go by, particularly if you like old Norse stylings.The principal actors all did a solid job of portraying their roles... Antonio Banderas did well as the reluctant Arab, and while he may have been The Big Name in the cast, his character was not the dominating force of the film. The other warriors got a great deal of screen time, and were actually allowed to develop, instead of just handing the shot over to Banderas.The plot was somewhat intriguing, and I often found myself wondering about the mysterious foes that the protagonists were up against, but on the whole, it was strangely anti-climactic. The final battle almost seemed too quick, and the ending didn't quite answer all the questions it had brought up. I left the theater with the feeling that they could have done far more with the plot than they ended up doing. But, if you like medieval settings and fierce battle sequences, then this is probably for you. 6/10
Failed to live up to potential - Read the book instead
posted on 26 Apr 2009I have to admit that I enjoyed several of the clever aspects of this film.
However, you're much better off getting these entertaining events from the book by Michael Chrichton than by seeing the movie. This is because the movie is incredibly boring at times (especially the first several minutes), the end of the film is immediate and unsatisfying, and because Antonio Banderas just doesn't fit the lead role (is he Spaniard-Arabic or Arabic-Spaniard?). I almost think this a movie that shouldn't be a movie.
It just doesn't entertain like a movie, and if it doesn't entertain and doesn't accomplish some social commentary or other worthy goal, why make it--or, more importantly, why see it? Well, there isn't a reason why, so don't see it. Take a trip to the library instead (or pick a better movie).
For Women Who Like Tough Looking Men
posted on 28 Aug 2009The supporting cast and story gets a 7, Antonio Banderas brings it down to a 6.5.Antonio Banderas looked like a whimp amoung men. If these same men were in jail Antonio would have been their... girlfriend.Luckily, he magically learned their language overnight; and this was not a movie about life in jail.However, Antonio played the part of the weakling very well.The women who to see Antonio Banderas be macho will have plenty of other men to keep their interest.I was impressed with the manly manness of this group. I was like watching the Magificent Seven with a whimpy sidekick played by Antonio Banderas.