The 13th Warrior

Name: The 13th Warrior
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Released: August 27, 1999
Duration: 102 min
Rating: 42
Cast: Antonio Banderas

1999

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 83 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 83 Ratings

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The 13th Warrior

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Movie Details & Credits

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution | Release Date: August 27, 1999 | R

Starring: Antonio Banderas

Summary: Ibn Fahdlan (Banderas), an important emissary who is banished from his homeland, comes across a band of Norse warriors who coerce him into joining them when they are summoned to fight mysterious creatures legendary for consuming every living thing in their path. Eventually surrounded by the frightening and ferocious foe, Ibn must conquerIbn Fahdlan (Banderas), an important emissary who is banished from his homeland, comes across a band of Norse warriors who coerce him into joining them when they are summoned to fight mysterious creatures legendary for consuming every living thing in their path. Eventually surrounded by the frightening and ferocious foe, Ibn must conquer his personal fears and help battle the illusive invaders who emerge out of the shroud of fog in the black of night. (Touchstone Pictures)… Expand

Director: John McTiernan and Michael Crichton

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Rating: R

Runtime: 102 min

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Schwarzbaum

The most unexpectedly audacious, exhilarating, wildly creative adventure thriller I've seen in ages. Read full review

TNT RoughCut Christopher Brandon

My biggest complaint: Following two nasty bloodbaths and an invasion of the creatures' lair, the final showdown seems anti-climactic.

Paul Malcolm

For the most part it delivers the goods. Read full review

Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson

Indulges in enough grubby histrionics and costume-adventure cliches to give you fifth-grade flashbacks. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

Bloody but anemic story. Read full review

Lisa Alspector

Overwhelmingly grisly. Read full review

Film.com Sean Means

Mud-stained, blood-soaked and completely useless. Read full review

SEE ALL 27 REVIEWS

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User Reviews

nikTerry

May 26, 2023

brilliant, well acted, great action set pieces, fighting but not gory, no gratuitous sex, really fun

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Android18

Aug 7, 2017

The Firewyrm! This is just a fun movie to watch, don't take it that seriously. I loved the interactions and the characters and even thought Antonio did a great job! I love the critic score, those stuffy elitists said this move was horrible, but in reality it is what we love to call a HiddenThe Firewyrm! This is just a fun movie to watch, don't take it that seriously. I loved the interactions and the characters and even thought Antonio did a great job! I love the critic score, those stuffy elitists said this move was horrible, but in reality it is what we love to call a Hidden GEM! Buy a bottle of mead and track down a copy of this movie, zone out for a bit with some friends as this is a great party movie.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Hemp316

Sep 8, 2015

I simply cannot understand why people dislike this Movie so much!To Me it's one of the best Movies of all time.from beginning to end it had nice drama,awesome action and some small bits of comedy at times that never seem out of place.Antonio Banderas and the entire cast are fantastic and toI simply cannot understand why people dislike this Movie so much!To Me it's one of the best Movies of all time.from beginning to end it had nice drama,awesome action and some small bits of comedy at times that never seem out of place.Antonio Banderas and the entire cast are fantastic and to myself is perfectly acted.I really love the setting of the Movie and the plot are well crafted and executed to perfection.Without revealing Spoilers that's about all I can say.However,it still boggles my mind why people hate this Movie so much!It's really,really good and should be considered one of the best Movies of all time and I simply cannot comprehend why people hate on this Movie.I guess it shows you that the majority of people in life have absolutely no idea what they're talking about.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

BernardTheBeast

Feb 2, 2020

Let me put my bias right at the front: when people ask what my favorite movie is, I say "pffbt, I have no favorites. If pressed, I say "The 13th Warrior."

• Tremendously unique protagonist: an Arab, Muslim Poet, whose brains and creativity help in his evolution into becoming a warrior. •Let me put my bias right at the front: when people ask what my favorite movie is, I say "pffbt, I have no favorites. If pressed, I say "The 13th Warrior."

• Tremendously unique protagonist: an Arab, Muslim Poet, whose brains and creativity help in his evolution into becoming a warrior.

• An authentically Nordic cast: actors who convey the culture with palpable sincerity.

• A D&D-style tale of Nordic Viking warriors and their exploits: the formation of the party and their quest.

• Gritty and bloody, this movie treads between action and horror in places.

If you play video games, you might very quickly draw parallels between this and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (for good reason, as one of the lead protagonists in this film also voices one of the lead characters in that game: Vladimir Kulich as Ulfric Stormcloak, and here as Buliwyf). You might also find a comfortable familiarity with the scenery, the characters, in personality, apparel and weaponry.

There is no literal magic within the movie, only the myths that are dispelled upon further discovery. This movie is gritty and fairly realistic in a way that's somewhat refreshing; though we have confidence in the plot-armor of our main character, we learn the other 12 warriors may not have that kind of safety.

The movie starts slow, ramps sharply up in the middle, and slows down towards the end, potentially creating more questions than answers as they learn more about their antagonistic foes. In the end, the villains are defeated, and victory is assured, but not without unfortunate sacrifice.

For its cinematography, unique characters rarely seen on the Hollywood screen, its retelling of a classic myth, and its dedication to preserving the medieval tenacity of Nordic Warrior adventures, I give the film a 9/10. It's a subject that I love and enjoy, and this movie did a spectacular job in giving me what I wanted.

If you have similar interests, hopefully you'll enjoy it too! If not, this movie probably won't be anything special.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

UncleWillard

Aug 21, 2020

Critics are completely out of touch on this one. Great characters and a wonderful, action lacked story. You really care about the characters and love watching them grow to respect each other's cultures. Can't explain why a "journalist" can't grasp that.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

lususgreene

May 13, 2011

Not a bad little action movie, not high art but entertaining. Antonio Benderas from back when he was kinda cool. I think the smarest thing was that they don't drag the movie on and on, a quick, nice little action esk movie can be nice from time to time.

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

FilipeNeto

Apr 25, 2018

This movie is a bit contradictory to me. It's a movie worth seeing if we just want pure entertainment, but it does not have enough quality for us to think of it as a really good movie. The action centers on the participation of an Arab ambassador in a Nordic military expedition, sent toThis movie is a bit contradictory to me. It's a movie worth seeing if we just want pure entertainment, but it does not have enough quality for us to think of it as a really good movie. The action centers on the participation of an Arab ambassador in a Nordic military expedition, sent to protect an isolated village that was being attacked by some sort of evil creature. And the weaknesses of the plot begin to appear before us: what would motivate an Arab sultan to want to maintain diplomatic ties with the tribal peoples of Northern Europe? They could never help in case of war because they are too far away, and commercial relations were impracticable at that time because of the enormous distance between them. It seems the idea did not come from the script, but from a novel in which the film is based, but it does not matter. It's still hard to swallow. Another point that drew my attention in the negative is the portrayal of the Norse as an illiterate people who needed an Arab to write their own story. The writer certainly forgot that the Norse are the inventors of a particularly well known writing system, the runic alphabet. Even for an age where teaching was rare, it is believable that Beowulf, as a prince, had at least some notions about this writing system, thus not needing a foreigner to "draw sounds" for him.

The strong point of the film is the combat scenes. They were thought out in detail and deserved the attention of the technical team. The idea of "bearsmen" is also good, but it is difficult for me to believe that the Norse, warlike as they prove to be, believed in that story of the creature of fire. There is a huge contradiction latent in that: if the Norse are bellicose and bragging, why would they flee from an army with torches thinking it is a hellish serpent? In the first attack it is quite evident that they are men, not frightening creatures out of our worst nightmares. There's no sense in really believing that.

António Banderas is literally the man of the movie. He appears, he shines, he makes a good participation. Omar Shariff also deserves an honorable mention for his fleeting appearance. He's an old-timer, with excellent diction and he is perfectly at ease in the role. The sets and costumes are good, they make the audience feel truly Northern Europe and the Viking environment. It's a shame that the script has not been reviewed and improved, as this would have made this film substantially more positive.… Expand

0 of 6 users found this helpful06

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54	#54 Most Discussed Movie of 1999
54	#54 Most Shared Movie of 1999