My Absolute Fav

Rating: Null/10 (29 September 2004)

It's not only my fav, but my Fiancé's fav too. And we hardly have anything in common like that.
It's a very authentic film in the fact that it portrays vikings and viking community & culture. The costumes, the sets, the way the characters react to situations.
Antonio does a great job as an arab poet forced into adventure by these warriors. He is put off by their brutish and sometimes gross habits but also admires their knowledge of battle, their philosophy, and power. A mutual respect builds as the cultures clash. The vikings slowly begin to understand why they needed a 13th warrior such as Ahmad.
The thrilling adventure will keep you on the edge of your seat. Though the enemy of the vikings is on the strange side you will find realistic battles using historical tactics. Not all 13 warriors will return home.
Overall this is a great epic film - I don't care about the Criciton gossip over the manuscript and stuff. Don't let it take away from the awe of this movie. To this day I still don't understand why it didn't seem to get enough publicity when it was out in theaters. All I saw was the movie poster but it wasn't enough to convince my Fiancé at the time. We now own the DVD.