The 13th Warrior
Directed by John McTiernan
Screenplay by William Wisher and Warren Lewis
Based upon the novel Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
Starring Antonio Banderas, Diane Venora, Dennis Storhøi, Vladimir Kulich, and Omar Sharif
102 minutes. Rated PG-13. Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1. 1999
Antonio Banderas    John McTiernan is back.
    And it's about bloody time! His last film (before The Thomas Crown Affair remake) was Die Hard With A Vengeance, waaaay back in '95. I've been waiting for a new McTiernan film all that time, and let me say, 13th Warrior was worth the wait.
    Antonio Banderas stars in this plot-light, action-heavy, beautifully shot Viking epic based on the Michael Crichton novel Eaters of the Dead. Banderas plays an Arab named Ahmahd ibn Fahdalan, who was banished from his homeland for making eyes at some other dude's wife. He is recruited by a band of Vikings who need him to defend their village from this mighty army of cannibalistic beast-men. The legends say it will take a circle of thirteen warriors to prevail, and that the thirteenth warrior must be an outsider. Lucky for them Antonio had just dropped by. The rest of the film consists mainly of attacks and counterattacks, as the Vikings try to defeat these mysterious warriors.
Beasts of the night!    John McTiernan's films are a joy to watch. The camera angles, the way the camera moves, the cuts, the slow motion -- it's like watching a poem. McTiernan has such a mastery over the medium; He is one of the biggest influences on my own films, and I have a huge amount of respect for him. You can always tell you're watching a McTiernan film, even if it's the action-light Thomas Crown Affair or the pretty terrible Predator. The McTiernan style shines through, and The 13th Warrior just screams "This is a John McTiernan film!"
The 1999 Miss America Pagent    As I said before, there isn't much plot or character development in this film. The actors (mostly unknowns) all do terrific jobs, but there's really not much of a storyline to talk about, or any reason to critique the actors very much. The reason this film succeeds is McTiernan. His creativity, his artistic talents, his genius, make this a great film. As I said, McTiernan is a poet with the visuals that make up a film, and I highly recommend not only this film, but also McTiernan's previous successes, such as Die Hard, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Medicine Man, and one of my personal favorites, The Hunt For Red October. Just make sure you see all these films in their original widescreen formats, because McTiernan's poetry is ruined by panning and scanning, even more so than some other director's films.
    See The 13th Warrior in the theatre, if at all possible. Grand epics such as this should be enjoyed in their theatrical, widescreen splendor. Seeing it on a 13" TV with half the screen cropped off would be pointless, and an insult to the poet John McTiernan.
    What have you got for us next, John?
    Bottom line: Not much plot, but McTiernan makes sure we don't care.
    My grade: B
    My advice: See it in the theatre, or on DVD (when it's available) on a huge TV.
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