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Eaters of the Dead Favorite Movie Quote: "Deception is the point! Any fool can calculate strength. That one's been doing it since we arrived. Now he has to calculate what he can't see." The 13th Warrior's origin is something of a winding road. As a film, it came from Michael Crichton's book Eaters of the Dead. According to Crichton, Eaters of the Dead had two sources, the historic account of Ahmad ibn Fadlan's travels in the 10th century and Beowulf. Crichton picked up the challenge set for him by a friend that believed Beowulf was a boring story; Crichton believed that Beowulf was a great story if told the right way. The 13th Warrior features Ahmad ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) - or Eben, as the Vikings take to calling him - in his travels north, where he quickly encounters a young king, Buliwyf (Vladimir Kulich); Eben first starts to communicate through an assistant with Herger (Dennis Storhoi). A young boy comes beseeching assistance for a great evil that had come to plague his lands and an oracle determines that thirteen men must go to stop it. The thirteenth warrior must be no northman, nominating Eben who cannot even speak their language. As the troupe travels north, a montage of sorts that's timeline is unclear, Eben learns the Viking's language. Once at the plagued town, the thirteen warriors must access the situation, sidestep a worm-tongued prince, and ultimately make war upon this unknown threat, bear-like beasts that can call down their mighty "fireworm". With a budget that soared out of control (estimated around $160 million) and was released a full year after intended which included a firing of director John McTiernan, The 13th Warrior failed to be anything but a dramatic box office flop, making less than half of its budget back. However, while critics are notably luke-warm about it, I'm very fond of The 13th Warrior. From its cast of unknowns to its unique examination of legend and myth, I find it to be entertaining and magnetic; I watch it whenever it's on and own a copy on DVD. Antonio Banderas is obviously the center piece, but several of the lesser known actors make an impression and it winds up being a great piece of ensemble acting. There are also several entertaining battles and conversations, but what I find most entertaining is the subtle point that is made consistently throughout the film about ignorance as the root of myth and mysticism - a fear of the unknown - and that the weapons against it is opening one's eyes and ears. All in all, I find it entertaining and thoughtful; a movie that never got any studio support that could've been more successful. Whatever. It exists for me to watch at my pleasure. email this review to a friend
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Jul 31, 2008 2:10 PM