August 28, 1999 -- "The 13th Warrior" trailer looks great, unfortunately the movie itself is rather unfulfilling. It just hangs there, like the aftertaste of stale beer.

The movie, like the trailer, looks great, with nice visuals, solid sets, costumes and vivid, colorful photography. The action scenes are all right, but not spectacular enough to carry the story. Unfortunately, there isn't much else going on besides battles to carry the story.

There's no character development, no romance, no magic. This is like a sword and sorcery movie without the sorcery. There is a mystery as to the identity of the enemy which attacks under the cover of night and fog, leaving few traces. The answer to the mystery isn't all that interesting, however.

This movie had potential at one time. An Arab from Baghdad, the center of civilization at that time, Ahmed Ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) happens on a band of Vikings and joins with them on a quest to conquer a mysterious enemy. The clash of cultures between Fadlan's Islamic culture and the Viking warrior way is potentially interesting, but only superficially portrayed. It is a nice change of pace to have an Arab who doesn't play the villain, however.

There is also some political infighting among the Vikings, but that subplot seems to lead nowhere. While it looks a little like a Viking version of "Braveheart," The plot is more similar to "The Seven Samurai" which, of course was remade as "The Magnificent Seven." While those classic films derived much of their power from character development, this story falls flat for the lack of it. You have to identify strongly with the characters (such as the well-defined characters of "Saving Private Ryan") before this kind of adventure tale works. The final scene, however, does have a nice bit of drama and poignancy. Overall, the film rates a C.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.