Day 8: The 13th Warrior

Today, CTF features a film that didn't quite make a splash at the box office, nor with many critics, when it was released in 1999.  Since then however, the film has developed a devoted following, including myself, for one simple reason:  The 13th Warrior is hands down one of the best action oriented period films ever made. 


Set early in the 10th century, the film follows Ahmed ibn Fadlan, a court poet to the Caliph of Baghdad, who is exiled after an encounter with the wife of a noble, and given the role of Ambassador to the "northern barbarians."  During one of his journeys, his caravan is saved from a Mongol raider attack by a group of Norsemen.  Although faced with an incredible language barrier, Fadlan is able to make contact through his companion Melchisidek (Omar Sharif) and a Norsemen named Herger who speaks some primitive Latin.  When the Norsemen are  requested back in their homeland to defend an attack from vicious warriors that are deemed so evil that their name cannot be spoken, an oracle determines that the mission will consist of 13 warriors, but the final one must not be a Norsemen.  Because of this, Fadlan is recruited against his will to join the mission. 


The Norseman initially look down upon Fadlan due to his size, apparent weakness, and even the inferior size of the horse he rides. During the incredibly lengthy journey to the Norsemen's homeland, Fadlan is able to slowly decipher and learn the Norsemen's language by listening intently to their conversations with each other.  This talent, along with his ability to write, and his skill with his horse, begins to earn him the respect of the Norsemen, including their leader, Buliwyf.  As the mission begins to form, the story really kicks it up a notch, and the film's narrative really begins to take shape. 

Antonio Banderas in The 13th Warrior

The performances are quite amazing, even from Banderas, although  his Spanish accent does sound out of place for a Muslim dignitary in that time period, and is even more noticeable in comparison to the traditional accents used by the actors portraying the Norsemen. Dennis Storhøi is wonderful as Herger, and Vladimir Kulich is absolutely amazing is the insightful leader Buliwyf. 

I continuously reccommend this movie to most people, as the film is nearly perfect in it's execution of both quality storytelling, but also it's action-filled set pieces.  I normally stack this up against more well known films within the similar genre (Gladiator, Braveheart, etc), and The 13th Warrior more than holds it's own with those Academy Award winning films. As always, feel free to use the following links to purchase your own copy on DVD (no BluRay yet, but hopefully soon, as the cinematography is stunning), or add the film to your Netflix list.