Adventure, well acted, and a touch of history.

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2006)

Very underrated film. A good adventure made better being based on the actual diary of the main character. The film shows the culture contrasts between the relatively educated and civilized Arab world in that time and the very primitive superstitions of the Northmen. Of course there limits to its accuracy, but it was well acted and entertaining as well. It pushed me to read the book on which it was based. The screen adaptation was different from the book, slightly more restrained on the coarser elements of the narrative, but it retained, even enhanced, the feeling for that period and locale in history. Antonio Bandaras made a creditable Arab adventurer and Omar Sharrif was an elegant mentor for the younger man. The Viking warriors were wonderfully played by a myriad of hardy men of various nationalities. I could not help wondering where the adventure took place - where the viking settlement was. The location shooting was believable as some northern 'viking' settled land - perhaps on the Baltic. The 'manly' humor was well done.