Good bloody fun

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2013)

This blend of historical adventure and horror maybe somewhat incoherent at times, but it's hard not to be caught up in this tale of an Arabian nobleman recruited to be 'The 13th Warrior' by a band of Norsemen who have been called on to defend a village from apparently supernatural flesh-eating creatures.
Antonio Banderas is effective as our audience identification figure, a cultured civilized poet, in a fish-out-of-water scenario with the uncouth Norse folk he's with.
The battle scenes are impressive, with Antonio and co taking on the monstrous marauders. Jerry Goldsmith's score is one of it's key strengths, providing the epic feel the film needs.
Where it falls apart somewhat is the introduction of characters and subplots that prove to be totally irrelevant, and pointless, and seems merely a way to pad things out a bit.
Still, it's a definite must-see for blokes.