Movie Review: The 13th Warrior (1999) directed by John McTiernan
Ahmed ibn Fahdlan (Antonio Banderas) was not always a warrior. Once he was a poet, esteemed for his skill with words. But then he fell in love with another man’s wife, and to avoid scandal, Ahmed was sent as an ambassador to the far north. There, he happened on the funeral of a Viking chief, and the succession of Buliwyf (Vladimir Kulich) as the new king. Buliwyf had little time to celebrate his ascension, as a messenger comes from King Hrothgar calling for aid against a menace that must not be named. The oracle cast the bones, and declared thirteen warriors must go on this quest. Buliwyf himself is the first, followed by eleven of his best fighters, including Herger the Joyous (Dennis Storhoi). But the thirteenth warrior must be no Northman, hey, Ahmed isn’t a Northman, he’s drafted!
On the long journey north, Ahmed learns the language of his new captors/comrades. Once at the village of Hrothgar, it’s learned that the enemy is the Wendol, the Eaters of the Dead. They’re mysterious beings that appear half-man, half-bear, striking at night in the fog, their corpses vanishing, and apparently in control of the “fire worm.” Ahmed may be no warrior, but he’s going to have to learn fast to survive!
This movie is based on a novel by Michael Crichton (who also reshot some scenes), which takes much of its structure from the legend of Beowulf. There are no monsters in this version, with rational explanations for almost everything that happens. (Except that the Wendol seem to have appeared out of nowhere recently, but their lifestyle is conspicuous enough that their neighbors would logically have known about their presence years before.)
There’s good music, individual scenes are well-shot, and the handful of main characters are well-acted. I teared up during the sequence just before the final battle when the defenders of the village give their funeral oration. Omar Sharif is good in his extended cameo at the beginning.
On the other hand, several of the thirteen warriors only get one line and then barely appear before dying, so we only learn their names and special characteristics from the closing credits. And in general, the editing seems rushed, leaving out scenes and characterization, dropping at least one subplot mid-film, and suddenly introducing a new victory condition our heroes must accomplish to permanently defeat the Eaters of the Dead. Apparently this was caused by the studio not liking the original cut and too many fingers being in the pie in post-production.
As often with Crichton products, there’s a mix of well-done research and just making stuff up, but with the legendary base of the story, this works well.
Content note: Gore, implied cannibalism, implied extra-martial sex. Northmen and Arabs alike show ethnic prejudice.
A good popcorn movie for people who don’t mind plot holes.
