I saw this movie several years ago when it first came out, but when my daughter Shayna brought a copy of it home from the library I decided to watch it again. Based on the novel EATERS OF THE DEAD by Michael Crichton (which I haven't read), it's the supposedly true story of how the legend of Beowulf came about, told by a wandering Arab who falls in with a bunch of Vikings.
I think this is a borderline great film. The photography and scenery are beautiful, with lots of striking images, the action scenes are well-done (except for a little bit of that modern-day choppy editing), and the quiet moments between all the battles really shine, too. Some Robert E. Howard fans claim that this movie is very Howardian in spirit, and I think I agree with that. What I had forgotten is how much of a Western it is, in the same way that Howard's Conan yarn "Beyond the Black River" is also a Western. Much of THE 13TH WARRIOR plays like it could have been retitled THE MAGNIFICENT THIRTEEN. Of course there's nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned. I'm glad I watched this one again. It certainly holds up well to a second viewing.
6 comments:
I agree, an excellent film. I've only bought copies of about four movies in my life. This was one of them.
For me, the most remarkable aspect of this movie is the way the Viking characters are scripted.
Hollywood has always filmed barbarians as either mumbling brutes or Fred Flintstones.
The Vikings in '13th Warrior' have great lines, often funny, that are always in character and never anachronistic. There's some real saga-worthy quotes in this movie.
I like this movie a lot. When we saw it at the theater, I told Judy that I was reminded a little of Conan. I didn't know others felt the same.
When I first bought a DVD player this was the first movie I bought. I haven't watched it in several years, but thank you for jogging the memory.
I liked this movie, too. Once I caught on that Antonio Banderas wasn't really the hero but was more of a sidekick it made a lot more sense.
It got some pretty bad reviews and I've been a bit ashamed to admit I liked it, but I did nevertheless.
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