Antonio in a world of brute

Rating: Null/10 (8 May 2001)

The director of `Predator' with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the eagerly awaited remake of `Rollerball' with Jean Reno, John McTiernan is the unrivalled virtuoso of the macho testosterone-filled action film. The 13th Warrior is no exception. Adapted from the novel by Michael Crichton (of Jurassic Park fame), the master of the techno-thriller, this barbarous excursion into the forests and fjords of the north pits Antonio Banderas and 12 Viking warriors against mysterious demons, beings that feed on human flesh and use a village as a larder. A confrontation of epic proportions. With a stunning visual beauty studded with numerous battle scenes, the film was very nearly the casualty of a disagreement between McTiernan and Crichton (who was both screenwriter and producer). In any event, the 13th Warrior, a full-blooded Scandinavian saga, plunges the spectator into the very heart of a maelstrom of violence and action. It also offers Antonio Banderas (after The Masque of Zorro) a new physical role where, sword in hand, he lets the sparks fly.