This very strange film, which was shot in 1997 and has taken ages to reach us, takes place sometime in the 10th century. An Arab poet, Ahmed, (Antonio Banderas), joins a band of 12 Norsemen on a mission to save their King who is under attack from monstrous creatures... The 13th Warrior, doesn`t begin to work as an action spectacular. The nominal hero, played by Antonio Banderas with funny eye makeup, is more of an observer than an active participant, the narrative seems to have been entirely removed from the film so that it makes little sense, there`s no love story, and the creature-like villains - who are unusually bloodthirsty at the beginning - prove, finally, to be a pretty wimpy lot. John McTiernan handles the action with his usual vigor, but the screenplay, based on Michael Crichton`s Eaters of the Dead, defeats him. Omar Sharif lends dignity to the preliminary scenes, and otherwise a mixed cast of Russian and Scandinavian actors look like they`re having fun in some dank Canadian locations.Margaret`s Comments:John McTiernan is a good action director, but the plot of this film is, to say the least, chaotic and to add to the feeling of discomfort McTiernan`s choice of directorial options are disconcerting. For what is obviously an epic tale he opts for odd close-ups and non-epic choices instead of pulling back and giving us a grand vision. Not that the story deserves epic treatment. We are not given much insight into the characters and we have to work at appreciating the significance of their quest So for audiences there`s limited payback - obtuse direction, only adequate performances, little wit, and confused narration. And what a waste of that fine performer Diane Venora. No, this one doesn`t work for me although visually some scenes are quite exciting.
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