13th Warrior

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The 13th Warrior, a rousing adventure tale that uses the "stranger in a strange land" theme by placing a Moor courtesan amongst a pack of Viking raiders in the European Dark Ages, looks and sounds great on DVD, with a widescreen presentation and 5.1 Surround Sound that replicates the big-screen experience. It is disappointing, however, that the DVD contains few extras, just the standard trailer and language subtitles. An epic like this begs for some deleted scenes and production notes, while a commentary by director John McTiernan on a reportedly rocky production that took years to finish would have been a welcome addition. A sleeper, The 13th Warrior provides lots of swashbuckling adventure that is scarce in today's action genre. ~ Chris Lawrence, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: 5.1, PCM Stereo
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • Theatrical trailer
  • French-language track
  • 5.1 Surround
  • Widescreen (2.35:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Antonio Banderas - Ibn Fadlan
       Diane Venora - Queen Weilew
       Dennis Storhoi - Herger the Joyous
       Vladimir Kulich - Buliwyf
       Omar Sharif - Melchisidek

• Director:

  John McTiernan

• Producer:

  Michael Crichton, Ned Dowd, John McTiernan

• Book Author:

  Michael Crichton

• Screenwriter:

  Warren Lewis, William Wisher

• Cinematographer:

  John Clothier, David Gribble, Peter Menzies, Jr.

• Composer (Music Score):

  Jerry Goldsmith

• Editor:

  John Wright

• Production Designer:

  Wolf Kroeger

• Art Director:

  Richard St. John Harrison, Willie Heslup, Helen Veronica Jarvis

• Co-producer:

  Lou Arkoff

• Associate Producer:

  Casey Grant

REVIEWS:

• With the director of {#Die Hard} and a star of {$Antonio Banderas}' drawing power, it's hard to understand why {#The 13th Warrior} never found an audience, other than being overlooked by critics. Maybe it should have kept the cooler original title {-Eaters of the Dead}, the name of {$Michael Crichton}'s novel-as-historical-document about an Arab courtier ({$Banderas}) who joins the 10th century Vikings in fighting an army of cannibalistic mist creatures. While not as exciting as {#Braveheart} (1995), and without the thematic import of {#The Seven Samurai} (1954), {#The 13th Warrior} earns favorable comparisons to both films. It's a subtle historical epic -- if there is such a thing -- though its first half-hour belongs solely to Banderas adjusting to the gruff Vikings. Yet the passages are riveting, and the film earns kudos for a variety of smart details that set the scene, notably how it deals with communication difficulties. First up is {$Omar Sharif} as {$Banderas}' translator, who has a Viking translator of his own; events are related in duplicate or triplicate, as would have really happened. The film gets everyone speaking the same language in a captivating montage in which English words steadily blend with Norse, as {$Banderas} absorbs their fireside bragging over weeks of travel. Among its other attributes are the most darkly lit and confusing battle scenes caught on film -- beautiful shots of the Viking vessel at sea, {$Banderas} humorously displaying his increased battle finesse once given an appropriate-sized weapon, and a dozen Vikings painted with vivid individuality, even though their names are unknown. Don't let this overlooked gem slip through the cracks. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
• With the director of Die Hard and a star of Antonio Banderas' drawing power, it's hard to understand why The 13th Warrior never found an audience, other than being overlooked by critics. Maybe it should have kept the cooler original title Eaters of the Dead, the name of Michael Crichton's novel-as-historical-document about an Arab courtier (Banderas) who joins the 10th century Vikings in fighting an army of cannibalistic mist creatures. While not as exciting as Braveheart (1995), and without the thematic import of The Seven Samurai (1954), The 13th Warrior earns favorable comparisons to both films. It's a subtle historical epic -- if there is such a thing -- though its first half-hour belongs solely to Banderas adjusting to the gruff Vikings. Yet the passages are riveting, and the film earns kudos for a variety of smart details that set the scene, notably how it deals with communication difficulties. First up is Omar Sharif as Banderas' translator, who has a Viking translator of his own; events are related in duplicate or triplicate, as would have really happened. The film gets everyone speaking the same language in a captivating montage in which English words steadily blend with Norse, as Banderas absorbs their fireside bragging over weeks of travel. Among its other attributes are the most darkly lit and confusing battle scenes caught on film -- beautiful shots of the Viking vessel at sea, Banderas humorously displaying his increased battle finesse once given an appropriate-sized weapon, and a dozen Vikings painted with vivid individuality, even though their names are unknown. Don't let this overlooked gem slip through the cracks. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

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