Ever wanted to see Arabs and Vikings join forces to take on an army of cannibalistic cavemen? Then The 13th Warrior, starring Antonio Banderas and directed by John McTiernan, just might be the film for you.
The scene where skandinavik language is fading into the language of the audience to illustrate how "Iben" is learning to understand the vikings is brilliant and legendary.
The scene where he learns the language is to this day one of my favourite scenes of all time. Including generally speaking how the language barrier was handled in this movie. Us - the viewers - were as clueless as the protagonist about what went on. And then hearing little bits and peaces of the language was simply genius in it's simplicity of creating engagement by the viewer.
Herger the Joyous : That is because, boy, your words are feeble and twisted as an old woman! Angus : This old woman'll send you to the next world, old man. the script... priceless
My favourite character was that scout viking. "You were supposed to be guarding from that post!" "That is exactly why I was not there." Dude knows his craft.
"So you saw the Dragon?" "Yes, it's cavalry! With torches, Hundreds of them!" Thoughtfully; " I rather prefer a Dragon..." Agreed, many great lines in this movie. After a dozen or more screenings, I still look forward to watching it again.
Always brought a chill when I heard this: "Lo there do I see my father; Lo there do I see my mother, my sisters and my brothers; Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. Lo, they do call me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever"
I loved 'iben's' prayer also, mostly because i can kind of relate to it lol "Heavenly father, i have squandered my days dreaming of many things, this was not among them. .."
My husband and I can never drink mead without exclaiming "Honey! It's made from Honey!" Among other references we regularly make from this film. One of the best.
This movie displayed how friendship is possible between a practicing Arab Muslim and a Nordic Pagan. It had a nice message of brotherhood and common grounds.
hehe, I loved that movie. Was not a big fan of all the north mythology hocus pocus of the movie though.... Would have been better if they just stayed in the real realm.... but I guess that's a real problem with movies these days. However the story line horror isn't new... you see the horror movie 'the outpost' have a similar storyline but then with zombie nazi's.
@@stijnvdv2 It's Norse mythology not "North Mythology". What are you, eight years old? You're as wrong about its incorporation into the film as you are about its pronunciation. And it was grounded in reality. Did you actually watch this film? There was no actual magic. The percieved "hocus pocus" was just that, a perception. People of that time were very steeped in their superstitions (and many still are) so it makes total sense that the belief in the mysticism that they used to explain their scary and brutal world would directly influence their decision making. What we call mythology, they called religion.
"Missing person in Amazon" is one of the most common sentences you will ever about the region, in my country.... We suspect that they go missing in the mouth of some isolated tribes....
"If you die, can I give that to my daughter?" The movie takes time to let the characters personalities come from their actions, especially fascinating as it comes from an outsider. That scene where he slowly learns their language is beautiful because we as the audience get to understand these characters without being "told."
@@somebody700 And to think, critics didn't see any character development. This was some of the best character development I've ever seen. Coming from the perspective of someone not the hero, made you feel like you were there, and not just watching a movie. It created immersion. The movie didn't get the recognition it deserves.
Ahhh . . . Fond memories . . . One of Banderas’s finest movies. Vladimir Kulich still crops up in movies, usually playing, “that big, badassed, Viking guy,” like in Ironclad, which is also awesome (the first one, NOT the sequels). And he even seems to be doing that when he’s in modern settings, like in The Equaliser, with Denzel Washington, looking (and behaving!) like a Viking in a suit! But, this was his most memorable, (dare I say, “moving?” Oh, go on. F’k it. Why not?) moving performance that I’ve seen him do. John McTiernan left the 1990’s with this (1999) after having reached the giddy heights of Die Hard, The Hunt For Red October and Predator, never to really reach so high ever again. Ah, the 90’s . . . Still the most Golden of Hollywood’s Golden Ages, in my humble opinion. Did I say, “humble?” I meant, “right.”
After the duel scene: "You could have killed him at will!" "Yes." "Why the deception?" "Deception is the point! Any fool can calculate strength. That's what they've been doing from the moment they saw us. Now he has to calculate what he can't see."
Buliwyf - "As you say, 'Foolish.' And expensive. We will miss Angus tonight. We will miss his sword..." Not the most talkative Leader, but every word he DID speak..? Had SERIOUS weight, denoting both great wisdom and blood-soaked, hard earned experience. Yeah...I'd have signed on for that quest...
The 13th Warrior has one of the most badass "Last Stand" scenes in cinema, with the Viking "prayer". (The " Lo, I see my father and his father and my brothers calling me to join them in Valhalla.... " scene). That's some awesome, manly shit right there. I also love the fact that Banderas' character despite not being a warrior, shows some resourcefulness and eventually "mans up" and kicks some ass during the story. P. S. The 2 main blonde Viking warriors, the leader and Banderas' " Big Viking brother " are absolute mad lads though. It's a shame these 2 actors haven't been in more movies, very charismatic dudes.
Seeing this movie I literally had a man-crush on Vladimir Kulich when I was a youngster. You know the type of time you meet someone or see someone where it's like a revelation "that's the perfect being right there. he represents everything I like, what a man is supposed to be like" lol
The Valkyries had to be fighting each other to be the one to reap Buliwyf's spirit for Valhalla. If anyone involved in that whole battle ended up at the Allfathers table, it was him.
Indeed! Very impressive scene! "For all I have and haven't done, said and haven't said I beg forgiveness". Also: closing lines of Bandera's character were great.
The conventional wisdom and honor of this movie makes it one of my favorites of all time. "Go hide in a hole of you like, you won't live one moment longer..."
I have a personal saying, "Wisdom is a bumper sticker.". Basically, you can find deep insights in the most unlikely of places. Like a bumper sticker on a car, or a quote from a movie. And THIS quote is DEFINITELY a bit of deep wisdom that I loved & is probably the best quote of the movie! Drinker is right, this movie IS a fun. (I remember seeing it in the theatre back in the day.)
Finally, someone with decent kudos, who gets how good this movie is. Don’t know how many times I’ve watched it and never once been bored. Well played Sir Drinker
Yeah.. that scene was awesome. "My mother was a pure woman from a noble family. And I, at least, know who my father is, you pig-eating son of a whore!" lol
“Merciful father…I have squandered my days with plans of many things. This was not among them. But at this moment, I beg only to live the next few minutes well.”
Buliwyf: 'Lo, there do I see my father. 'Lo, there do I see... Herger the Joyous: My mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. Buliwyf: 'Lo, there do I see... Herger the Joyous: The line of my people... Edgtho the Silent: Back to the beginning. Weath the Musician: 'Lo, they do call to me. Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: They bid me take my place among them. Buliwyf: Iin the halls of Valhalla... Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: Where the brave... Herger the Joyous: May live... Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: ...forever.
"Probably was some smoke-colored camp girl; looked like that one's mother!" (hesitantly, but developing confidence) "My mother was a pure woman from a noble family, and I at least know who my father is you pig-eating son of a whore!" One of the simplest and yet most badass exchanges I'd ever heard in a movie to date!
Apparently that's an almost perfect, word-for-word translation taken from a line in _Beowulf._ Dr. Jackson Crawford talks about this in one of his videos.
The scene where Antonio Banderas’ character learns the Vikings’ language is one of my favorites in all of cinema. It’s original and masterfully done. The entire film is great, and I’m happy to see The Drinker agreeing!
@@Bronn92 Who fucking cares. It bridges the gap between everyone in the film speaking the same language with no explanation at all and having some ridiculous montage of the characters miming at each other the words for rock and horse.
I usually get chills when they all start chanting. Even if Ibn doesnt believe in their religion, he has essentially become one of them and in that moment sees clearly how in that moment he has nothing to regret
“Ouch!” “That’s a woman’s sound.” “Do that again and you’ll make it.” This flick is right up there with Jaws as a movie I can always watch one more time, even if I just saw it. There’s not many like that.
One of my all-time favourites. I love how there's no clear-cut hero, that it's the dynamic of the band of warriors that creates their strength. Buliwyf has a clear-cut hero's journey to carve his name in legend, Herger the Joyous is deuteragonist to Ahmed and just about the biggest reason he lives to tell the tale, Edgtho the Silent doesn't even need the attention, he's too busy being a fucking ninja, and then there's Weath... "Go on, make it worse. Now it's gonna rain lol."
When I got out of the marines I moved in with my best friend and me and him were obsessed with this movie. We used to drink our hearts out when we watched it being drunk and in our barracks rooms. When we played it again with some of his high school friends they also shut the fuck up when the movie was playing. It was like the super bowl or some meaningful event on TV. whether you served in the military or not men who knew this movie, it sang a certain song to our hearts. Something we all knew was missing in our lives but none of us could put to words. Some movies have this affect on men whether you realize it or not. 13th warrior to me is better than starship troopers and I'm obsessed with that movie as well. BORN TOO LATE I guess but I'm glad to have seen this
Buliwyf: 'Lo, there do I see my father. 'Lo, there do I see... Herger the Joyous: My mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. Buliwyf: 'Lo, there do I see... Herger the Joyous: The line of my people... Edgtho the Silent: Back to the beginning. Weath the Musician: 'Lo, they do call to me. Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: They bid me take my place among them. Buliwyf: Iin the halls of Valhalla... Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: Where the brave... Herger the Joyous: May live... Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan: ...forever Best scene ever!
If you enjoyed Master and Commander the move, you should treat yourself to the novels on which it is based. The first is a bit of a slog, due to the overwhelming amount of period terminology, but once you “learn the ropes” you will be left with the greatest historical fiction stories ever commits to paper imho.
Thanks to the "Free" movies on RU-vid, I just watched M&C, and holy crap, I loved it. I could tell it was based on an intelligent novel, and I will definitely be checking out the book series. Crowe and Bettany were both superb.
I loved The 13th Warrior. My favorite character was Herger. Somehow, throughout the entire film, you always knew he was going to survive. His humor and epic fighting played a major roll in my fandom.
Fun fact: This was based on Crichton's novel "Eaters of the Dead", and in that book the antagonists are heavily implied to be the last surviving tribe of Neanderthals. That explains their stone-age outfits.
@@Johnny-Thunder I love this movie. Pretty underrated and Gerard Butler was great in it. The troll/Grendel is scary because he is very brutish yet damn smart. It's hard to explain but it just works. lol
@@Johnny-Thunder the story IS beowulf Michael Crichton had a discussion with friends about whether or not you can rewrite old stories and Eaters of the Dead was the result
This film does a perfect job of developing honorable, brave, capable and intelligent protagonists, who all contribute to a fantastically entertaining and fun movie. This is what movies should be!
And has the best character death of all time. With Beowulf sitting atop a battlefield throne, his sword bloody, watching his enemy flee before him. God damn amazing.
@@Laneous14 Along with possibly the greatest character arch of all time. Ibn started as an exiled ambassador who inexorably transformed into a warrior hero.
I also like any movie that gives an accurate portrayal of how things like superstition and religion played into politics. Too many movies exaggerate it to the point of ridiculousness. (i.e. in another movie the old woman would be a fraud who knew it was bullspit and manipulating everyone for some reason. Or maybe Beowulf is the one viking in creation who simply doesnt believe any of it because hes "forward thinking".)
@@jackdorseysdisappointedfather There really isn't much clever "debunking" going on. Everything is exactly as supernatural as people _want_ it to be. I hope this makes more sense XD
I love this film. It's not even a 'guilty pleaseyure', it's a straight up great film. Great Jerry Goldsmith score, great action, great fun characters, and the sequence with the fire worm is fantastic.
This is easily one of my all time favorite movies. I will always remember the plot, characters, and score. And Fun Fact: Buliwyf is also Ulfric Stormcloak.
I picked up a copy years ago on whim and was really surprised. McTiernan and Crichton are the kind of guys that make directing and writing look easy...and fun!
“The All-Father wove the skein of your life a long time ago. Go and hide in a hole if you wish, but you won't live one instant longer. Your fate is fixed. Fear profits a man nothing.” This line got me through too many very scary situations.
I’ve actually studied Vikings and that’s a pretty good summation of their warrior philosophy. Cowardice profited a man nothing because the time of your death was fixed, locked in an iron box or running naked across a battlefield wouldn’t gain or lose you an instant. They also had an “interesting” sense of humor.
I saw this in the theater 3 times. I dragged a lot of people to see this movie and they all were glad I did. It's one of my favorite go to films to remind me of when I still liked this planet.
One of the most underrated movies ever. I find myself always telling people about this one. And I guess it's over a decade later and I'm still finding myself doing it haha
Antonio Banderas: Maybe I shouldn't go north with a bunch of huge barbarians whose language is incomprehensible to me... Omar Sharif: Nah, it'll be fine.
Kind of a booboo that one as Vikings were far from illiterate, also when they call his Arabian horse a dog when Arabian horses are in reality larger than Scandinavian ones. Just a bit of nit picking though its a awesome movie.
@@raclark2730 The armour too is dodgy as well. We know what Vikings looked like, both from archeology and illuminated manuscripts - medieval monks drew what the saw - so why they have to screw around with the look is beyond me. Still, the rest of the set design was good and the story and characters brilliant so I can overlook these booboo's,
@@raclark2730 I think it was more that Beowulf hoped that Ahmad would write down his history and deeds. He asked him to confirm that the really could read and write in a more wide spread language than his
@@richardarcher7177 Thats because common knowledge about anything medival was almost non existent safe for with historians. As at that time movie makers where still spreading most of the common still active today misconception and flat out lies about anything medival or ancient history related really. E.g all peasants wearing only brown broken cloths everybody is filthy, constructions are shoddy at the best of times with basically everything being made out of raw wood etc
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. So many great quotes. I still use the "Lo there I see my father..." battle speech for regular interactions in my life to this day.
So true. They give him a sword way too heavy for him. And when he complains. They just tell him to grow stronger... But in the end his is a brother to them. As he deserves to be.
One of the most important scenes is when Ahmad ibn Fadlan learns the language just by listening and the Viking King asks him to write something ('paint words') and then to imitate him the next morning - to show him that Vikings are capable of learning and not barbarians. I love this movie, have seen it at least 12 times!
"See to your friend, he was a brave man." The delivery was so authentically sad, like he really didn't want to snuff out a brave young man simply to send a message. This movie is one of my guilty pleasures.
Watched this move with my Advanced Dungeons and Dragons group when it came out in the cinema. Great experience. Made Role Playing even better afterwards.
It's been mentioned how the montage where Fahdlahn learns the viking language is cool. But I always laughed how Banderas delivered the line, "I leeestened!". 20 years later my buddy and I still reenact that line to each other. *That* is the mark of a good adventure movie.
Speaking of hidden gems, I don't know why the Drinker haven't reviewed Legionnaire with Jean Claude van Dame, an absolute classic, it left an everlasting impression on me since I was a child.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's far from perfect, there is the odd scene that doesn't quite make sense, or sub plots that don't really go anywhere, but these don't go as far as annoying me. The greatness of this film is mainly down to it's atmosphere. I love the fear and confusion shown by the northmen on discovering who the adversary is, the scene in the cave is amazing...it's just a great blend of action, horror and some comedy. I can't believe so many reviewers disliked this film. As I said before, it's not perfect, but (like many 90s films) it's just great fun and really entertaining.
I loved the Buliwyf character in this movie. He was, imo, the true hero of the story. Here he was, poisoned and dying, but he knew that if they didn't kill the enemy leader this small village would be wiped out so he went out and with the last of his strength absolutely crushed him. Then got on his make-shift throne to die. What a badass.
You should read the poem of Beowulf if you haven't yet. He is even more badass than this movie. As an old man he goes to fight a dragon on his own because his warriors refuse.
Yeah, and that wasn’t just some stupid writing of “ ok he will do this, then this, and also this”. It was grounded. You could actually believe these characters would do what they did. The ending of fadlan leaving with the Vikings earned respect is just a really nicely earned ending. It feels real. Like a grand adventure brought down to earth, and made real. As if it were what a real person would have experienced in that era. I love this movie. None of Hollywood will likely ever produce something as real as it was again any time soon.
Ever since I saw him slam that sword into the ground and took his sit as the victor, the image has been burned into my mind forever. Truly a kingly way to go out.
Lol! I love this guy... And I've seen this film more than several times. It's great! "...the way we'll know is: they don't follow us - it's too far to swim..." . Cue the action music and great underwater motion camera work as they swim through a narrow underground cave passageway. Exhilarating...
"Step closer Bulwyne... Closer..." "You know me?" "Oh I have ears, warrior says the wind, chieftain says the rain, but why seek you me? Met you your match? Met you your match with the eaters of the dead!?" Awesome film, another one of those cult classics that while not a big earner at the box office has gathered a loyal cohort of fans over the years since its release. I especially like how they took the story of Beowulf and retold it in a modern way with some great action and lots of quotable lines and humour to keep it interesting. Plus the sound track is awesome. A much maligned film but one of my favourites, up there with Last of the Mohicans.
I watched it on opening weekend with a few D&D friends in a mostly empty theater and we had a blast, and I've bought it on both DVD and Blu-ray and watched it many times gaining tiny insights on the movie along the way. Great film.
Hail to Drinker! For remembering one of the most underrated movies of all times! A movie which was indeed too expensive, with its obvious mentioned flaws, but epic and masterfully shot, exhilarating, with great cast and mesmerizing score!
"How do you speak our language" "I listened" King Beowulf: "Hmm. That's how I learned the language of the Dov from the Graybeards." (same actor as Ulfric Stormcloak, you know)
I'm glad to see The 13th Warrior get the proper "Drinker Treatment". It's one of the few movies with near-infinite re-watchability (for me, anyway). The studio may have torpedoed the marketing for it, but having Will Jordan extolling its virtues is BETTER, even if it is over 20 years too late. Keep 'em coming, Drinker!
And intelligent, practical women aiding their community and warriors in both leadership and support roles? Even making hard decisions like not letting the children be taken by the Wendol to be eaten should the worst happen? Unthinkable!
@@613harbinger316 Queen Weilew was actually in charge of whatever left from the kingdom, from informing and correcting about situation to defense planning. She too was also present in the battle, albeit in the background.
Mmmh, maybe we could have them. What are really scarce are good writers... Toeing the party line - whichever may it be - way too tight is the standard trick of the mediocre shill.
Man, I LOVE this movie. I never understood the reputation it's been saddled with, it's not perfect by any stretch, but like the drinker says, it's good fun, and it's in my stable of flicks that I go back and can watch over and over again.
"The 13th Warrior" may be underrated, but I think it a left subtler impression on pop culture than folks may think; the popular wording of the funeral prayer ("Lo there do I see my father") originates from this movie/book, if I recall correctly. Also, "It's made from honey!" is probably one of the least expected things to hear after a hard-won battle.
There was a lot of fuss about how everyone involved having a bad time making it along with somewhat unfair shake with the critics. For the end result though as us the viewers, its a damn fine show with just an awesome cast and script that carried it through some otherwise dull spots
@@krissteel4074 Amen. It manages to navigate a fine thread through action/adventure and fantasy with some horror elements; it does all this without leaning hard on gore for shock value or grinding the pace to a halt to focus on a generic piece of eye candy, all the while providing a gritty retelling if not somewhat anachronistic origin of the Beowulf mythology. The character interactions are meaningful and the lighter moments are funny and natural.
the Viking prayer at the end is perfect and the J.Goldsmith soundtrack is even more perfect. The score was also reused in the director's cut of "Kingdom of heaven".
One of my favorite movies I like to watch once a year. It's so well boiled down to just the essentials of a great action story with fast and satisfying pacing. The fact that it is a retelling of Beowulf only makes it that much richer! RIP Michael Crichton!
I agree, but what about a sequel where Antonio Banderas goes on another quest where he ties in with another pseudo historical event? Or would that be too Indiana Jones and Kingdom of Crystal Skull?
I say that, as I always thought it lent itself to being a series of movies. I'll add that to the list of stuff I want, but won't happen. Like Robocop 3 remaining in the heads of the writer, so I can whine that there should have a been a trilogy!