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The 13th Warrior

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The 13th Warrior
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn McTiernan
Screenplay by
Based onEaters of the Dead
by Michael Crichton
Produced by
  • John McTiernan
  • Michael Crichton
  • Ned Dowd
Starring
CinematographyPeter Menzies Jr.
Edited byJohn Wright
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • August 27, 1999 (1999-08-27)
Running time
103 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$85–160 million[2][3][4]
Box office$61.7 million[2]

The 13th Warrior is a 1999 American historical fiction action film based on Michael Crichton's 1976 novel Eaters of the Dead,[5] which is a loose adaptation of the tale of Beowulf combined with Ahmad ibn Fadlan's historical account of the Volga Vikings.

It stars Antonio Banderas as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, as well as Diane Venora and Omar Sharif. It was directed by John McTiernan; Crichton directed some uncredited reshoots. The film was produced by McTiernan, Crichton, and Ned Dowd, with Andrew G. Vajna, James Biggam and Ethan Dubrow as executive producers.

Production and marketing costs reportedly ranged from $100–$160 million,[6] but it grossed $61 million at the box office worldwide, becoming the biggest box office bomb of 1999, with losses of up to $129 million.[7] Despite its critical and box office failure, the film has since cultivated a devoted cult following, and is credited with pioneering a Muslim hero in Hollywood blockbusters.[8]

Plot

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Ahmad ibn Fadlan is a court poet of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Muqtadir of Baghdad until his amorous encounter with the wife of an influential noble gets him exiled as an "ambassador" to the Volga Bulgars. Traveling with his father's old friend, Melchisidek, his caravan is saved from Tatar raiders by the appearance of Norsemen. He takes refuge at their settlement on the Volga River, and communications are established through Melchisidek and Herger, one of the Norsemen, who happens to speak Latin. From Herger, both learn that the celebration being held by the Norsemen is in fact the precursor to a funeral for their recently-deceased king. Herger also introduces them to one of the king's sons, Buliwyf. Ahmad and Melchisidek witness a fight in which Buliwyf kills his brother in self-defense, which establishes Buliwyf as heir apparent. That is followed by the funeral of the dead king, who is traditionally cremated on a Viking ship, set adrift with a female slave who offers to sacrifice herself and accompany him to Valhalla, the Norse afterlife (or "heaven").

The next day, the young Prince Wulfgar enters the camp to request Buliwyf's aid; his father, King Hrothgar, has asked for assistance, as his lands in the far north are under attack from an ancient evil so frightening that even the bravest warriors dare not name it. The "angel of death", a völva (wisewoman), says that the mission will be successful but only if thirteen warriors face this danger, and the thirteenth must not be a Norseman. Ahmad is automatically and unwillingly recruited.

Ahmad is initially treated indifferently by the Norsemen, but they mock his smaller Arabian horse. However, he earns a measure of respect by quickly learning their language as he starts mentally translating it into Arabic, demonstration of horsemanship, and his ability to write. Buliwyf, already himself a polyglot, asks Ahmad to teach him the Arabic script, which cements their mutual goodwill. Buliwyf sees Ahmad's analytic ways as an asset to their quest.

Reaching Hrothgar's kingdom, they confirm that their foe is indeed the ancient "Wendol", fiends who come with the mist to kill and take human heads. While the group searches through a raided cabin, they find a Venus figurine, which is said to represent the "Mother of the Wendol". On the first night, the warriors Hyglak and Ragnar die. After a string of clashes, Buliwyf's band determine that the Wendol are human cannibals, who are clad to appear like bears, live like bears, and think of themselves as bears.

The warriors' numbers dwindling, having also lost Skeld, Halga, Roneth, and Rethel, and their positions all but indefensible, they consult another völva of the village. She tells them to track the Wendol to their lair and destroy their leaders, specifically the "Mother of the Wendol", and their warlord, who wears "the horns of power". Buliwyf and the remaining warriors infiltrate the Wendol caves and kill the Mother but not before Buliwyf is scratched deeply across the shoulder by a claw attached to her hand, dipped in poison.

Ahmad and the last of the Norse warriors escape the caves but without the injured Helfdane, who opts to stay behind and fight. They return to the village to prepare for a last stand. Buliwyf staggers outside before the battle and inspires the warriors with a Viking prayer for the honored dead who will enter Valhalla. Buliwyf succeeds in killing the Wendol warlord, defeats them, and succumbs to the poison.

Ahmad witnesses Buliwyf's royal funeral alongside the four surviving members of the 13 (Herger, Weath, Edgtho, and Haltaf) before returning to his homeland, grateful to the Norsemen for helping him to "become a man and a useful servant of God".

Cast

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Production

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Originally titled Eaters of the Dead, production began in the summer of 1997, but the film went through several re-edits after test audiences had not reacted well to the initial cut. Crichton took over as director himself because of the poor test audience reception, causing the release date to be pushed back over a year. The film was recut, and a new ending along with a new score was added. Graeme Revell was replaced by Jerry Goldsmith as composer. The title was changed to The 13th Warrior.[9] McTiernan has since gone on record as defending the film, stating the finished product was not entirely different from what he shot along with stating that he had originally wanted to do the film with Michael Keaton in mind for the lead role.[10][11]

The budget, which was originally around $85 million, reportedly soared to $100 million before principal photography concluded. With all of the re-shoots and promotional expenses, the total cost of the film was rumored to be as high as $160 million, which, given its lackluster box office take (earning US$61.7 million worldwide), made for a loss of $70–130 million.[2]

Reception

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The film debuted at No. 2 on its opening weekend behind The Sixth Sense.[12]

The 13th Warrior holds a 33% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 88 reviews. The consensus is: "Atmospheric, great sets and costumes, but thin plot."[13]

Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars out of four, remarking that it "lumber[s] from one expensive set-piece to the next without taking the time to tell a story that might make us care."[14] Conversely, James Berardinelli gave The 13th Warrior three stars out of four, calling it "a solid offering" that "delivers an exhilarating 100 minutes".[15] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly rated it A− and called it "the most unexpectedly audacious, exhilarating, and wildly creative adventure thriller I have seen in ages".[16]

The outcome of the film's production disappointed Omar Sharif so much that he temporarily retired from film acting, not taking a role in another major film until 2003's Monsieur Ibrahim:

"After my small role in The 13th Warrior, I said to myself, 'Let us stop this nonsense, these meal tickets that we do because it pays well.' I thought, 'Unless I find a stupendous film that I love and that makes me want to leave home to do, I will stop.' Bad pictures are very humiliating, I was really sick. It is terrifying to have to do the dialogue from bad scripts, to face a director who does not know what he is doing, in a film so bad that it is not even worth exploring."[17]

Soundtrack

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Filmtracks[19]

The original soundtrack was composed by Graeme Revell and featured the Dead Can Dance singer Lisa Gerrard. The score was rejected by Michael Crichton and was replaced by one composed by Crichton's usual collaborator, Jerry Goldsmith.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "THE 13TH WARRIOR (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 1999-07-30. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  2. ^ a b c Dirks, Tim. "Greatest Box-Office Bombs, Disasters and Flops of All-Time – 1999". Filmsite.org. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  3. ^ "Company Town Film Profit Report". Los Angeles Times. 8 September 1999. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  4. ^ Sklar, Elizabeth S. (2011). The Vikings on Film: Essays on Depictions of the Nordic Middle Ages. McFarland & Company. p. 122. ISBN 9780786460441. Despite a lavish production budget for which estimates range from $100,000,000 to $160,000,000...
  5. ^ "Michael Crichton's Novel, The 13th Warrior". Windofkeltia.com. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  6. ^ Sklar, Elizabeth S. (2011). The Vikings on Film: Essays on Depictions of the Nordic Middle Ages. McFarland & Company. p. 122. ISBN 9780786460441. Despite a lavish production budget for which estimates range from $100 to $160...
  7. ^ Gabbi Shaw (February 27, 2017). "The biggest box office flop from the year you were born". Insider. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  8. ^ "The 13th Warrior: The Hollywood blockbuster that pioneered a Muslim hero". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  9. ^ "15 Directors Unceremoniously Fired Or Replaced On A Movie", The Playlist 22 March 2013 accessed 27 March 2013
  10. ^ https://www.joblo.com/john-mctiernan-defends-his-work-on-the-13th-warrior/
  11. ^ https://toisto.net/john-mctiernan-on-his-career-shakespeare-and-the-language-of-film/
  12. ^ Natale, Richard (31 August 1999). "The Summer's Other Hitting Streak : The major studios are on a record pace, slugging at least 11 films into $100-million territory. The final tally will approach $3 billion". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  13. ^ "The 13th Warrior". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  14. ^ Ebert, Roger. "The 13th Warrior Movie Review (1999) - Roger Ebert". rogerebert.suntimes.com.
  15. ^ "Review: The 13th Warrior". preview.reelviews.net.
  16. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (1999-09-03). "The 13th Warrior". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  17. ^ "Omar Sharif on Monsieur Ibrahim". Sony Pictures Classics. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  18. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Jerry Goldsmith, The 13th Warrior". AllMusic.com. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  19. ^ "Filmtracks: The 13th Warrior (Graeme Revell/Jerry Goldsmith)". www.filmtracks.com.
  20. ^ "The 13th Warrior (Graeme Revell/Jerry Goldsmith)". Filmtracks. 1999-08-10. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
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