The 13th Warrior

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The 13th Warrior

R

1999

1h 43m

Adventure

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

34%

Tomatometer

89 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

A Muslim ambassador exiled from his homeland, Ahmad ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) finds himself in the company of Vikings. While the behavior of the Norsemen initially offends ibn Fadlan, the more cultured outsider grows to respect the tough, if uncouth, warriors. During their travels together, ibn Fadlan and the Vikings get word of an evil presence closing in, and they must fight the frightening and formidable force, which was previously thought to exist only in legend.

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Critics Consensus

Atmospheric, great sets and costumes, but thin plot.

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Paul Tatara

CNN.com

Akira Kurosawa's brilliant samurai movies -- especially 1957's Throne of Blood -- are a visual influence. But the script lacks the dignity that infuses Kurosawa's equally blood-thirsty characters.

Feb 6, 2018

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Todd McCarthy

Variety

Michael Crichton's story is underdeveloped and narrow in range, resulting in a tale more curious for its odd confluence of elements than for their edifying deployment.

Jun 17, 2008

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

At its best, this achieves the beauty and grandeur of a Kurosawa epic -- at its worst, however, it feels like a Python remake of The Vikings.

Feb 9, 2006

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Chuck Klosterman

Akron Beacon Journal

On paper, that description undoubtedly seems ridiculous. But remember -- what The 13th Warrior does best is make the ridiculous seem (for lack of a better word) "cool."

Rated: 3/4

Oct 26, 2023

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Alistair Lawrence

Common Sense Media

All in all it proved to be a cinematic outing that was definitely unlucky for some.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 21, 2021

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Betty Jo Tucker

ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Exciting battle sequences, intriguing period costumes, fascinating cinematography, and stirring background music contribute to the epic nature of 'The 13th Warrior.'

Jul 10, 2011

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Julio P.

The novel was way better. The film skips all things that made the story interesting and thus, poor character development and the monsters are ruined by such a grounded approach. They were neanderthals btw.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/23/25

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Camilo A

All time favorite movie. Incredibly underrated. The action is non stop in this classic action saga. The coming together of two cultures, chemistry between characters is great and makes for an electrifying 99 minutes.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/23/25

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Kandy A

One of my favourite movies of all time. Great cast and awesome story. I can watch this over and over again. There was never a dull moment. Antonio Banderas did the perfect melding of cultures and a great performance, as usual, from Omar Sharif.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/18/25

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Matt G

Excellent film, wish It was longer and featured more of the eaters of the dead book. Fully recommend

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/22/25

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Mark S

This film is very underrated in my opinion. Is it Oscar-worthy great? No. But it's solidly good and very enjoyable. The pacing and atmosphere are wonderful, the characters memorable, and the plot—while basic—is timeless and not so predictable that it gets boring. One thing I really like about this movie is that <slight spoiler warning> there are no supernatural elements. Magic and the supernatural are teased, but only because the characters believe in such things. Ultimately, every mythological threat is man-made and believably so. Arguably, the worst part about this movie is Antonio Banderas playing an Arab. He does feel a bit out of place in the role, and some people won't be able to overlook it. I acknowledge, for those people, his constant presence might spoil the movie for you. However, for those who can get over it, the rest of the characters feel spot-on in their portrayals. If you like a nice, straightforward adventure movie, The 13th Warrior is definitely worth a watch!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/22/25

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Camilla K

This movie is incredibly underrated. The cinematography, the pacing, the lingering unease, the grittiness, the themes of life and death and honor and duty – it all somehow works. Highly recommend!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/19/25

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Michael Crichton

Director

John McTiernan

Director

Antonio Banderas

Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan Ibn Al Abbas Ibn Rashid Ibn Hamad

Diane Venora

Queen Weilew

Dennis Storhøi

Herger the Joyous

Omar Sharif

Melchisidek

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Synopsis

A Muslim ambassador exiled from his homeland, Ahmad ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) finds himself in the company of Vikings. While the behavior of the Norsemen initially offends ibn Fadlan, the more cultured outsider grows to respect the tough, if uncouth, warriors. During their travels together, ibn Fadlan and the Vikings get word of an evil presence closing in, and they must fight the frightening and formidable force, which was previously thought to exist only in legend.

Director: Michael Crichton, John McTiernan
Producer: Ned Dowd, Michael Crichton, John McTiernan
Screenwriter: Michael Crichton, William Wisher Jr., Warren Lewis
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 27, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 31, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $32.7M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Surround

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