But once he masters it, presto: everyone suddenly speaks English, and Banderas, In these early scenes, the movie makes much of the fact that Ahmed, who speaks English, can't understand the language of his fellow warriors.
Ahmed, who is effete and urbane compared with his rowdy road mates, finds himself summarily drafted into the elite killing squad. Unless the attacking force includes a foreigner. A friendly soothsayer warns that the enemy can't be defeated
While traveling by caravan they run into a band of Norse warriors who describe a demon army that has been terrorizing their homeland in nighttime raids. The connection between the two actors is oddly resonant, since the camera lingers over Banderas' sad, poetic (heavily outlined) eyes the way it used to hover over Sharif's baby browns in his "Dr. His loyal manservant, Melchisidek (Omar Sharif), accompanies him on his The story, adapted from Michael Crichton's 1976 novel "Eaters of the Dead," is inspired by Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan's historical account of his adventures in Central Asia in the 10th century.Įxiled from Baghdad for a politically unwise sexual liaison, Ahmed (Antonio Banderas), a poet, is appointed ambassador to a distant northern land. Sanctified by Jerry Goldsmith's pounding score - the symphonicĮquivalent of heavy metal - such feats of carnage seem almost heroic when carried out in a misty mountain landscape redolent of pure myth (the movie was filmed in British Columbia) by warriors who resemble the hair-bandĪntonio Banderas as Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan in "The 13th Warrior," which was directed by John McTiernan.īeneath the roars and growls and surging fanfares, there's a tale to be told, although I dare you to piece it together given the monosyllabic screenplay, much of which is swallowed up by the engulfing noise. More than once, the movie gives you the delirious thrill of ripping off your enemy's head and watching the blood gush by providing a ringside seat. And unlike professional wrestling, it is saturated in purgative gore. Aieeee! If the juiciest bouts of professional wrestling on television leave you feeling unfulfilled and pining for the primal howls of fight-to-the-deathĬombat, "The 13th Warrior" just might be the answer to your prayers.
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