Braveheart meets the Magnificent Seven

Rating: 6/10 (13 September 1999)

After reading the novel by Michael Crichton I was surprised to hear that a film of the book was to be made (another Crichton book cash-in!!) given the nature of the story. The result is, however, a very enjoyable film full of epic battle scenes, old-style heroism and plenty of severed arms and flying heads. It's all very spectacular with hordes of heavily armed horsemen crashing through barricades and a suitably thrilling score to back it up - but my biggest problem is that although remaining faithful to the book, it doesn't really add anything, making the story appear a bit aimless and stilted. This is fine for the book, which is more of a diary of events but makes the film appear as more of a series of battle scenes rather than an involving tale. Despite this sentiment, I found the film to be thoroughly enjoyable and would urge anyone wanting a good adventure yarn to check this out. If you want a better viking flick, however, watch the Tony Curtis/Kirk Douglas effort, "The Vikings" made in 1958- its got a better story and is ultimately more rewarding!