All very spooky. McTiernan is a director who commits himself to the spirit of machismo, not unlike James Cameron in his attitude to cinema's power of imagery. Something goes wrong here. Ahmed Ibn is overshadowed by the physicality of his long haired compatriots and Banderas's qualities as an actor are wasted. A silly love interest leads nowhere and waiting for the attack goes on forever.
Credibility turns to dust.
The Magnificent Thirteen are perfectly prepared to take on the entire might of the cave armies, even when their magnificence is dulled by mortal losses. Courage is admirable until it becomes ludicrous. A Viking longship, however, in a British Columbian fjord, is still a beautiful sight. Copyright 1997-2001 insideout.co.uk. All rights reserved.