Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan (Antonio Banderas) has been banished from his homeland after sleeping with the wife of another man. On his travels he comes across a group of Norsemen who have been requested to go to the aid of a village that is being terrorised by ‘monsters’. A wise woman tells the Norsemen that 12 of them will be chosen, and that the 13th warrior will be a man not of their land. Ahmed is chosen to join the warriors in their journey.

Whilst on their journey, Ahmed begins to earn the respect and admiration of the group, who see that he has a lot to offer them in their quest. Upon reaching the village, the group meet with the King. The King tells them that the monsters come when the “worm” has been seen in the mountains. When the ‘monsters’ attack the group, the group find that the ‘monsters’ are in fact ordinary men, albeit cannibals. The group decide that if they are to put a stop to the attacks, they must seek the enemy in their lair.

However striking at the heart of the enemy, doesn’t quite have the effect the warriors hope for, leading to a brutal and bloody showdown. I absolutely love this movie. It has that old school epic quality to it. The story and acting are top notch. Everyone is clearly enjoying their respective roles. The action itself is visceral stuff, and doesn’t skimp on the gore.

The film is based on a story by Michael Crichton called ‘The Eaters of the Dead’. Directed by John McTiernan, it truly is pulse pounding stuff. Omar Sharif has an extended cameo as Ahmed’s companion Melchisidek. I did read that there were problems on set and that Michael Crichton had to come in and oversee the directing of the film, but it doesn’t show. It is a brilliantly entertaining movie and one I wholeheartedly recommend.

5/5

JM