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The 13th Warrior

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The 13th Warrior
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn McTiernan
Written byJohn McTiernan
William Wisher Jr.
Warren Lewis
Produced byMichael Crichton
John McTiernan
Andrew G. Vajna
StarringAntonio Banderas
Vladimir Kulich
Dennis Storhoi
Clive Russell
Richard Bremmer
Tony Curran
Omar Sharif
Eric Avari
Sven Wollter
Diane Venora
Asbjørn 'Bear' Riis
CinematographyPeter Menzies, Jr.
Edited byJohn Wright
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Graeme Revell (Soundtrack)
Distributed byTouchstone Pictures
Release date
August 27, 1999
Running time
102 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film US
LanguagesEnglish
Latin
BudgetUS$85 million[1]
Box office$61,698,899

The 13th Warrior is a 1999 historical fiction action film starring Antonio Banderas as Ahmad ibn Fadlan and Vladimir Kulich as Buliwyf; it is based on the novel Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton.[2] It was directed by John McTiernan and an uncredited Crichton.

The 13th Warrior is regarded as a financial failure. Production and marketing costs totalled $160 million, but it only grossed $61,698,899 at the box office.

Plot

Ahmed ibn Fadlan is a court poet to the Caliph of Baghdad - until his amorous encounter with the wife of an influential noble gets him exiled as an "ambassador" to "northern barbarians." Traveling with Melchisidek, his caravan is saved from Mongol Tatar raiders by the appearance of Norsemen. Taking refuge at their settlement on the Volga, communications are established through Melchisidek and Herger, a Norseman who speaks Vulgate Latin. Ahmed and Melchisidek are in time to witness the fight which establishes Buliwyf as heir apparent, followed by the Viking funeral of their dead king, cremated together with a young woman who agreed to 'accompany' him to Valhalla.

A youth enters the camp requesting Buliwyf's aid: his father's kingdom in the far north is under attack from an ancient evil so frightening, the bravest warriors dare not name it. The "angel of death," an oracle, determines the mission will be successful if thirteen warriors go to face this danger - but the thirteenth must not be a Norseman. Ahmed is recruited against his will.

Ahmed learns Norse during their journey by listening intently to their conversations. He is looked down upon by the huge Norsemen, who mock his physical weakness and his small Arabian horse, but earns a measure of respect by his fast learning of their language, his horsemanship, ingenuity, and ability to write.

Reaching King Hrothgar's kingdom, they confirm their foe is indeed the ancient 'Wendol', fiends who come with the mist to kill and eat human flesh. In a string of clashes Buliwyf's band establishes that the Wendol are humanoid cannibals who appear as, live like and identify with bears.

Their numbers dwindling and their position all but indefensible, an ancient wisewoman of the village tells them to track the Wendol to their lair and destroy their leaders, the "Mother of the Vendol" and the war leader who wears "the horns of power." Buliwyf and the remaining warriors infiltrate the Wendol cave-complex and kill the Mother, but Buliwyf is poisoned by her.

As the last remaining warriors return to the village and prepare for a final battle they do not expect to survive the Wendol attack. Buliwyf succeeds in killing the Wendol war leader, causing their defeat, before succumbing to the poison. Ahmad ibn Fadlan witnesses Buliwyf's royal funeral before returning to his homeland, grateful to the Norsemen for helping him to "become a man, and a useful servant of God".

Cast

Production and revenue

Originally titled Eaters of the Dead, production began in August 1997, but the film went through several re-edits after test audiences did not react well to the initial cut. After re-shooting several key scenes with Crichton taking over as director (causing the release date to be pushed back over a year), the title was changed to The 13th Warrior.

The budget, which was originally around $85 million, reportedly soared to $100 million before principal photography wrapped. With all of the re-shoots and promotional expenses, the total cost of the film was rumored to be $160 million, which given its lackluster box office take (earning only US $61,698,899 worldwide), made for a loss of nearly $100 million.[3]

The outcome of the film's production disappointed Omar Sharif so much that he retired from film acting. He did not take a role in a major film until 2003's Monsieur Ibrahim.:

"After my small role in The 13th Warrior, I said to myself, 'Let us stop this nonsense, these meal tickets that we do because it pays well.' I thought, 'Unless I find a stupendous film that I love and that makes me want to leave home to do, I will stop.' Bad pictures are very humiliating, I was really sick. It is terrifying to have to do the dialogue from bad scripts, to face a director who does not know what he is doing, in a film so bad that it is not even worth exploring."[4]

During production two horses were injured. One horse was put down after a wire sliced his leg tendon.[5]

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack was composed by Graeme Revell and featured the Dead Can Dance singer Lisa Gerrard. The score was rejected by Michael Crichton and was replaced by one composed by Crichton's usual collaborator, Jerry Goldsmith.[6] The cue heard just before the final battle scene, called "Valhalla", was also used in the film Kingdom of Heaven by Ridley Scott at the final siege scene.

Reception

The 13th Warrior currently holds a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[7] Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars out of four, remarking that it "lumber[s] from one expensive set-piece to the next without taking the time to tell a story that might make us care."[8] Conversely, James Berardinelli gave The 13th Warrior three stars out of four, calling it "a solid offering" that "delivers an exhilarating 100 minutes."[9]

In his book Reel Bad Arabs, media studies professor Jack Shaheen listed The 13th Warrior on his "Best" list of films with balanced and sometimes heroic portrayals of Arabs.

See also

References

  1. ^ Company Town, 1999. Company Town Film Profit Report. Los Angeles Times, [internet] 8 September. Available at http://articles.latimes.com/1999/sep/08/business/fi-7832 [Accessed 30 July 2010].
  2. ^ http://www.windofkeltia.com/crichton/13thwar.html
  3. ^ Dirks, T. 2010. Greatest Box-Office Bombs, Disasters and Flops of All-Time. [Online] Filmsite.org (Updated 2010) p.11. Available at: http://www.filmsite.org/greatestflops.html (page 11) [Accessed 30 July 2010].
  4. ^ Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - WENN - 20 November 2003
  5. ^ "Cruelty to Animals in the Entertainment Business : Cruel Camera - Cruelty on Film : the fifth estate : CBC News". CBC News.
  6. ^ http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/13th_warrior.html
  7. ^ The 13th Warrior Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
  8. ^ The 13th Warrior :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews
  9. ^ Review: The 13th Warrior

"Michael Crichton's 13th Warrior and Beowulf". Retrieved 20 August 2010.

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