The 13th Warrior is a 1999 action film based on the novel Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton. It is directed by John McTiernan and an uncredited Crichton, and stars Antonio Banderas as Ahmad ibn Fadlan and Vladimir Kulich as Buliwyf. The 13th Warrior was a disappointment at the box office, earning only US $61,698,899 worldwide.
The novel upon which the film is based is itself loosely inspired by Richard Frye's translation of ibn Fadlan's non-fictional account of his travels up the river Volga in the tenth century and the Old English heroic epic poem, Beowulf.
Plot
The plot centers on Banderas' character, Ahmad ibn Fadlan, who angers an influential noble in Baghdad and is commanded by the Caliph to serve as "ambassador to the North"—i.e., is expelled from the city—as a result. Traveling with Melchisidek (Omar Sharif), an old friend of his father, he meets a shipload of Viking raiders whose king has just died.
The language barrier is awkward, as Ahmed speaks only Arabic and most of the Vikings speak only Norse. Melchisidek and Herger, the Vikings' skald, both speak Latin and thus communication is established. After Buliwyf becomes the new leader, a bewildered youth enters the camp and requests aid for his distant village, threatened by an old and supernatural force. Through the commands of an oracle, it is decided that exactly thirteen men must go to face this danger, and that the thirteenth must not be a Norseman; thus Ahmed is recruited.
Ahmed learns Norse quickly by sitting amongst the group and listening intently to their conversation, eventually beginning to understand what they are saying. He feels he has to prove himself to the uniformly huge Vikings, who mock him for his physical weakness and his small Arabian horse, but his fast learning of their language, ingenuity, and horsemanship eventually earn their respect and friendship.
The foe, known as the Wendol, have the appearance of both man and bear, although no bodies are left behind after their first nocturnal clash. In fact they do resemble pre-homo sapiens affecting the appearance of bears to confuse and instill fear into their enemies.
Losing members of their small force with each battle, and finding the settlement indefensible, Buliwyf opts to track the Wendol to their lair and attack them. Buliwyf and the remaining warriors track the Wendol, and uncover that they are cannibals; a chamber in the Wendol lair is full of human bones that have been gnawed upon. Buliwyf kills the Mother of the Wendol, but is poisoned by her.
Upon discovering that the warriors have entered the lair, the Wendol give chase, forcing them to submerge into a pool which leads out to the cliffs by the sea. The last remaining warriors return to the village and prepare for a final battle. The Wendol appear and both engage in an epic battle. Buliwyf kills the leader of the Wendol and they retreat, defeated.
Order is restored to the village, but only after Buliwyf dies from the poison. Ahmad ibn Fadlan returns to his homeland, thankful to the Norse for helping him to "become a man, and a useful servant of God".
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 more than $110–115 million before principal photography wrapped. With all of the re-shoots and promotional expenses, the total cost of the film was a rumored $160 million (estimated), which given its lackluster box office take (earning only US $61,698,899 worldwide), made for a loss of nearly $100 million.
It did however get some money back with a successful video release. The film became a minor hit on video and has become somewhat a cult classic, especially among fans of Norse mythology and Viking history. The film uses Arabic, Norwegian, Latin and Greek dialogue.
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."[1]
During production two horses were injured. One horse was put down after a wire sliced his leg tendon.[2]
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[3]. The cue heard just before the final battle scene, called "Valhalla," was also used in the movie Kingdom of Heaven by Ridley Scott at the final siege scene.
Reception
Although the film was generally panned by critics, some praised it for use of an Arab as its hero. In his book Reel Bad Arabs, media studies professor Jack Shaheen listed the film on his "Best" list of films with balanced and sometimes heroic portrayals of Arabs.
References
External links
