Surprisingly good for a Crichton movie.

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 1999)

I was lucky going into this movie that I hadn't been told anything about it. Most critics predicted a bomb, I believe. Certainly I wouldn't have bothered if I had known it was directed and written by Michael Crichton, creator of such "gems" as Congo. The more I watched, the more I loved this movie. It has all the elements of a wonderful action flick, great historical themes (such as the Viking horses vs. the Arabian), and surprising originality. It actually contributed new material to the genre of historical fiction, not to mention having darned fine fight scenes.