The 13th Warrior (1999)

3 out of 4

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Omar Sharif, Dennis Storhoi, Vladimir Kulich, Diane Venora

Director: John McTiernan

Time: 102 mins

Films are rarely too short. It is more often the case that a film drags on and on, way past what would have been a reasonable running time. Recent examples include The Green Mile and The Talented Mr Ripley. With The 13th Warrior, one feels that an extra half an hour or more, to flesh out some of the minor characters and develop a couple of sub-plots, would have turned it into one of the great epics. The film apparently suffered heavy editing, and languished on the shelves for over a year before release. It would have been interesting to see what the original version was like. As it is, The 13th Warrior is still an exhilarating mediaeval action film, with plenty of bloody battles and heroic deeds, sprinkled with humour and camaraderie, that suffers slightly because of its edited-down disjointedness.

In a whirlwind opening, the film relates how the narrator, Ahmed Ibn Fhadlan (Banderas), was banished to the North lands because of an indiscretion in the Arabian court. He and his translator, Melchisidek (Sharif) become the guests of a band of Viking warriors, led by Buliwyf (Kulich) and Herger (Storhoi). Soon after comes a plea for help from villagers, who have been under attack by a group of bear-like creatures that eat the dead. The Vikings choose 12 of their finest, plus a reluctant Ahmed, and travel to the village. They're welcomed by King Hrothgar (Sven Wollter) and Queen Weilew (Venora), but not by Wigliff (Anders Andersen), the King's son. Before an adequate defence can be mounted, night falls, and the attacks begin.

Director McTiernan has a splendid eye for choreographing action. His Die Hard is the seminal action film, and others like Predator, The Hunt for Red October and Die Hard With a Vengeance have many exciting moments. Even the much-maligned The Last Action Hero weighs in with some great explosions and gun-fights. The 13th Warrior, being set in the middle ages, eschews the bullets and bombs, but affords McTiernan the opportunity of action Braveheart style. This means swords, bows and arrows, and heaps of blood and decapitations. When the bear creatures swarm in to the village, there is an exhilaration that is not present in many modern-day action set-pieces. This is probably due to the relatively rarity of such scenes - after you've seen your 126th shootout, the next one just doesn't seem as fresh. The 13th Warrior's setting, the weapons, the armour, and the brutal nature of the enemy all combine to create some very suspenseful scenes. There is a later sequence, when the Vikings and Ahmed enter the creatures' lair, that is filled with McTiernan's hallmark tension and a heart-pounding chase. If you're a fan of blood-and-guts action, you won't be disappointed.

If you want something meatier, however (pun not intended), such as well-developed characters and sub-plots, you might be left wanting more. Signs of post-production tampering are quite evident. There is a sub-plot involving the King's son, as well as a romance between Ahmed and one of the village girls, that are just left hanging. Spanish star Banderas is not bad as the bewildered Ahmed, a civilised man who finds himself fighting an uncivilised battle. His friendship with the jovial Herger (blonde-locked Storhoi) is well-portrayed. The other Vikings each have distinct personalities, but are not given much more to do other than being minor characters or as victims of the creatures. The leader, Buliwyf, has an important role to play, but is frustratingly under-developed. And the female characters may as well not be there, for all the impact they have.

If you can see past the haphazard post-production editing, which reduces the story to the level of a Braveheart Lite, The 13th Warrior is still an entertaining and exciting film, with plenty of action for you thrillseekers out there. An extra half hour to further develop characters and story angles would have lifted it above many others, but for an escapist time at the cinemas, The 13th Warrior is quite a good choice.

(c) Joe Wong