The 13th Warrior (1999)

Director:

John McTiernan

Writers (WGA):

Michael Crichton (novel)
William Wisher Jr. (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 August 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

Fear reigns.

Plot:

In AD 922, an important emissary who is banished from his homeland. The nomadic outcast comes across...

Plot Keywords:

Viking | Arab | Warrior | Battle | Beowulf

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Antonio Banderas	...	Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan
Vladimir Kulich	...	Buliwyf
Dennis Storhøi	...	Herger - Joyous (as Dennis Storhoi)
Daniel Southern	...	Edgtho - Silent
Neil Maffin	...	Roneth
John DeSantis	...	Ragnar - Dour (as John Desantis)
Clive Russell	...	Helfdane - Fat
Mischa Hausserman	...	Rethel - Archer
Oliver Sveinall	...	Haltaf - Boy
Asbjørn 'Bear' Riis	...	Halga - Wise (as Asbjorn Riis)
Richard Bremmer	...	Skeld - Superstitious
Tony Curran	...	Weath - Musician
Albie Woodington	...	Hyglak - Quarrelsome
Omar Sharif	...	Melchisidek
Erick Avari	...	Caravan Leader (as Eric Avari)

Also Known As:

Eaters of the Dead (USA) (working title)
The Thirteenth Warrior
The Vikings (USA) (working title)
Le 13ème guerrier (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
13 Warriors (Japan: English title) [en]
13 guerreros (Argentina) [es]
13 ratnik (Serbia) [sr]
13üncü savasçi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
13. Soturi (Finland) [fi]
Al 13-lea razboinic (Romania) [ro]
Den 13. kriger (Denmark) [da]
Den 13:e krigaren (Sweden) [sv]
Der 13. Krieger (Germany) [de]
El guerrero nº 13 (Spain) [es]
Il 13º guerriero (Italy) [it]
Il tredicesimo guerriero (Italy) [it]
Le Treizième guerrier (France) [fr]
Los trece guerreros (Venezuela) [es]
O Último Viking (Portugal) [pt]
O 13º Guerreiro (Brazil) [pt]
O 13os polemistis (Greece) [el]
Schwarze Nebel (Austria) [de]

MPAA:

Rated R for bloody battles and carnage.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG | Germany:12 | USA:R (No. 36499) | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

In accordance with the book, John McTiernan's version of the Wendol's mother was an old woman, which was filmed with veteran actress Susan Willis. When Michael Crichton took over and did the reshoots, it was decided that brutally killing off an old lady did not reflect very well on the heroes. Crichton decided after the fact to make her younger, sleeker and tougher. In the final released film, Wendol's mother is played by actress Kristen Cloke (uncredited), but the final credits still list Susan Willis as the Wendol's mother (although she is nowhere to be seen in the final cut).

Goofs:

Continuity: The rope Edgtho slides down connecting the tree to the watchtower suddenly appears.

Quotes:

Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: They think they are bears... they want us to think they are bears... hey, how do you hunt a bear?
Weath the Musician: Chase it down with dogs. What...?
Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: How do you hunt a bear in winter?
Herger the Joyous: Go in its cave with spears.
Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: Where is a cave?
Weath the Musician: [realizing] It's in the earth.
[Edgtho returns from scouting]
Edgtho the Silent: The next glen, many fires.
Buliwyf: [shouts] Is there a cave?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#23.2)" (2000)

Personal Review

i have read the book and also seen the theatrical movie. hopefully this makes me more of an objective critic. through following this story there are two points i wish to address, first being the authenticity of the story.

from what i have read. the movie does justice to the documentation provided by the book. there are of course items in the book which cannot be properly illustrated by the film only because much of what occurs is due to the readers fantasy, i have not known any director to be able to illustrate this without some variants. it even seems improbable that a director could make it echo that of your specific account, in reading the subject.

I think that this theatrical attempt is one of the best, true to text efforts that you will find. the movie provides a vehicle to learn or experience the characters in a different manner than reading about the events, which from the account of the narrator are somewhat bland and overly factual.

this is a great effort to stay true to the story provided and i personally find that the strange connection and distance that you encounter with the main characters convey the true meaning of what it would be like to experience an event like this - that is without the language and social skills of the environment one is thrust into.

so on the whole i think that this is a respectable attempt to recreate the story as documented, without taking too much license at "artistic additions" in the film version. i find that you become attached to the characters even without knowing their names or understanding them on a "language" scale. this story is truly about a foreign interaction and a textbook style accounting of the events that haunted the main character even after the experience.

excellent for those looking for a real story and not just special effects to entertain.