The 13th Warrior

This is easily one of my top 15 favorite films, of all time! That alone may mean little, given the large number of feature films produced and released or re-released each year without any real critical support or word of mouth, among loyal fans of various genre's of serious cinema! "THE 13th WARRIOR" is a film that was almost never made due to budgetary problems and cost overruns. It's based on a book "EATERS OF THE DEAD" by Michael Crichton. This film is the most realistic telling of the classic BEOWULF literary epic that doesn't miss much. The epic nature of the film and characters are phenomenal! You will not be watching some cheaply OVERDONE CGI MONSTER MOVIE. But rather a well crafted MOTION PICTURE based on one of the few great classics of ancient literature. The music and casting are exceptional. But the way the film takes us to a long gone past is really excellent. An adventure film, horror film, and historically accurate film in one. I hope you enjoy it!

I saw this in the theater, and was surprised how well it holds up after 20 years. This film has a long list of wins and a short list of sins, and suffers from having been made a decade too early. The critics panned it as a warmongering conservative-pleaser (which it isn't). The studio sold it as a rollicking adventure with newly minted action hero Banderas at the helm (which it isn't), so word of mouth hurt. And audiences were unfamiliar at the time with Norse culture (which this isn't), Dark Ages history (which this isn't), the existence of Caliphates as advanced cultures (which this isn't), and the Epic Saga of Beowulf (which this barely is). As a result, The 13th Warrior never really found it's audience. This film is a sophisticated synthesis of these very different near-ancient fields of study designed to make the hazy past materialize as a real place without diminishing how alien the past is to us now. Now that we have several popular and entertaining TV series about Norse and Anglo-Saxon culture, this movie has a lot more context in which to be appreciated. This film says a lot about the interaction of cultures and values, and the central theme is how much we have to learn from those who are different from us. It's fun, but more than that, it's really interesting. Starting from the Saga of Beowulf, the writers (working from the 1976 Michael Crichton novel) seek to make that mythical story of the supernatural into a credible story of natural phenomena in a real historical context. Banderas' character, a court dandy and poet from Baghdad, inspired by a real character from a different story, is a proxy for the audience. He is shocked along with us at the barbaric and alien world into which he travels, and puzzled with us by the Norse attitude toward death, collectivist values, and what constitutes success. Most of all, he is the character who grows and changes, finding in himself weakness and prejudice that hold him back. The worst sin of this film is the Hollywood ending. It undercuts the movie's commitment to plausibility, and throws a wrench into the creeping atmosphere of mystery and dread that the film very effectively builds. Lesser sins include the ridiculous beheadings during combat, misrepresentations of north european cultures (some of which may have seemed more correct in 1976, to be fair) and the unbalanced presentation of the major threat. Balance that against a compelling story of a man thrust into an alien world and, by coincidence, stumbling into the epic conflict that will be immortalized as the characteristic Saga of that time and place. Feel the wonder of leaving the desert sun and sand behind and discovering the foggy coast and forested hills and low, natural architecture of northern Europe. Hear a movie, for once, not ignore the gigantic barrier of language. See Omar Sharif in the role whose financial failure so shamed him he decided to quit acting! Seriously, this film isn't great. But it is mostly good, and it is interesting. If you like history, or literature, or foreign cultures, this movie will stick with you.

I was 18 when this movie came out in the theaters. I went to see it twice. Did I like it? No, I loved it. (cliche', I know) I wont go into the scores or rave about who was in it because if you are in my age range you dont know any one but Antonio Banderas any ways. The movie it self was great for me and I stress ME because I loved the purely brutal style of voilence. When some one gets killed you know that they are dead. Now I know a lot of people who read this will say "its not that violent" but for its time it was. You didnt get to see to many movies at the time where people died by sword like this. Later we got things like Gladiator and 300. I have read a lot of bad reviews about this movie (wich made me want to write a good one) because people sit here and say the story is weak sauce, the acting is bad, complaints about the lighting... really? I read reviews that complained about why they didnt use certain actors... any ways. Lets face it, if you read the title it should give you an idea about what you are going to see. i.e. Saving Private Ryan. Leaves a lot of the guess work out of what its about. So people sit and complain about it but if you didnt know what you were sitting down to thats your problem. Its a story, based on a book, and I will say loosely, names are about the only thing the same, about an Arab who joins up with Vikings against his wishs' and heads off to help a kingdom survive and fight off an ancient threat. Now... based on that, how many of you are surprised there are a few battle scenes? Or that there are a lot of deaths? How many ancient threats are out there in cinema that go away by singing and dancing? Right, so now we get that this is a movie about violence, death, killing, blood and gore. If you dont like those things this movie isnt for you. People have also said there is no story line here. I dissagree. The story is... well see above starting at Arab. Friendships are made and lost due to a few deaths. People fall in love, bla bla bla. Visually I loved the movie because I like that gloomy foggy mountainess look. I have no idea if Viking and Arabs of the kind existed in the same time frame or not, so if your an expert of such things, try and look past that. The people in the movie are likeable enough that you care if any of them die (if they got any screen time) other wise they just kind of go away in a battle scene and you go "ok guess so and so died" My one complaint are the names. You know Banderas as Arab or Ebin, and Bolvine spelled Boulfife or some such thing if you look in the credits but other than that I dont think they ever say any one elses name... well there is a part where the Arab is looking for the scout and calles him something to the effect of Ethal but thats not much to go by. For those of you who do happen to know actors and actress' Dont see this movie if you are only seeing it for Omar Sharif or Diane Venora. Thier roles are little more than Cameos. The movie is fun, not meant to be taken too serioulsy and enjoyed for what it is. Decent banter, good killing and credits.

Well worth the time if you like historical action films with more than just a basic plot.

Pretty good and certainly entertaining. Just don't expect too much.

Item arrived in good condition and on the day that was predicted. Great, old movie.

Good action movie, I re-watched again and it's a good film.

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."

Se ve en castellano y la imagen muy buena. Película difícil de encontrar Recomiendo

Excellent film l'état du DVD neuf je recommande

This is an awesome movie. It was filmed on Vancouver Island, which is where i live.

La película llegó a tiempo y en buen estado. Está es una grandiosa, una magnífica historia que entretiene de principio a fin, sus actores hacen un gran trabajo, unas de mis películas favoritas. El DVD solo trae subtítulos en inglés, aún así vale mucho la pena, yo espero que en un futuro le hagan justicia y saquen está película en 4K como debe ser.

Einer der besten Abenteuer-Wikinger-Actionfilme aller Zeiten!!! Actionspezialist John McTiernan (Predator, Stirb Langsam 1+3, Last Action Hero) feuert hier wieder aus allen Rohren, soweit ein Wikinger-Film das vermag, in diesem Falle gibt es massig Action in Form von Schwertkämpfen, wie es halt zu der Zeit üblich war. Story: Der arabische Edelmann Ahmad ibn Fadlan ibn Al Abbas ibn Rashid ibn Hammad (so sein vollständiger Name) wird aus seiner Heimat ausgesandt, um die nordischen Völker zu kontaktieren. Kurz nach seiner Ankunft bittet ein Botenjunge den Anführer Buliwyf um Hilfe, König Rothgar im Norden beizustehen, um gegen ein grauenvolles Übel zu kämpfen. Eine Seherin ruft 13 Krieger auf zu gehen, jedoch darf der 13. Mann kein Nordmann sein und so wird Ahmed gezwungenermaßen zum 13ten Krieger! Im Norden angekommen erzählt König Rothgar den Kriegern von den Wendols, die stets bei Nebel angreifen und die Leute auf bestialische Weise abschlachten. Nach der ersten Begegnung mit den Wendols gleich in der ersten Nacht, machen sich die 13 auf, einen Weg zu finden diese Bestien aufzuspüren und zu vernichten. Eine beinahe aussichtslose Schlacht beginnt, die nicht alle überleben werden! Einer der besten Rollen von Antonio Banderas, wenngleich auch der Rest der Besetzung eine überzeugende Vorstellung abliefert. Die Story ist natürlich vollgepackt mit Action, aber auch Witz kommt nicht zu kurz und die Atmosphäre ist sehr düster und bedrohlich gehalten, um die allzeitliche Bedrohung durch die Wendols zu unterstreichen! Besonders hervorzuheben ist hier noch die Musik von Komponist Jerry Goldsmith, die den Film die richtige Untermalung verleiht und so die Szenen noch imposanter und düsterer erscheinen lässt und auch die Atmosphäre erheblich mitgestaltet, man könnte also praktisch Jerry Goldsmith als den (unsichtbaren) 14ten Krieger bezeichnen! Bedauerlicherweise gab es einen Disput zwischen Regisseur McTiernan und Autor Michael Crichton, wodurch McTiernan die Produktion verließ und der Film von Crichton fertiggestellt wurde, der 45 Minuten des Films entfernte und nachdrehte, um eine Altersfreigabe ab 12 zu erreichen, obwohl McTiernans Fassung nur für Erwachsenen gedacht gewesen wäre! Ich hätte gern die Originalfassung gesehen! Schade!