The
13th Warrior is one of those films that's been plagued with problems ever since
it finished shooting. Originally slated for last year, the medieval action opus
was shelved due to friction between director John McTiernan (Die Hard, The Hunt
For Red October) and author Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, Sphere).
Antonio
Banderas plays the heroic title character, who is recruited to assist an army
of soldiers in a war against a strange force that is responsible for multiple
village massacres.
This
is a curious film that never really makes much sense. The enemy's motivation is
never really explained and there really isn't a hero that you feel yourself rooting
for.
Still, this
is a film that's beautiful to look at and in all its mass confusion, I still enjoyed
it more than McTiernan's last outing, the glossy but dull Thomas Crown Affair.
It also doesn't have the typical Crichton feel--which is definitely a plus.
The
13th Warrior aspires for the scope of Braveheart, but reaches more of a Highlander
feel. It won't make my best list at the year's end, but it certainly won't make
my worst list either.
