John McTiernan’s ‘The 13th Warrior’ Reinvented Mythical Monster Slaying

The distinction between myth and history is much more recent than you might initially think. For the vast majority of our existence, humankind has operated on the belief that compelling stories are more important than the facts that inspired them – a belief that has led to plenty of confusion for modern historians wishing to untangle the complex web of legend and reality that makes up our shared cultural heritage. This is also why it’s so much fun to remix ancient myths for modern audiences, as there’s some ancient wisdom in that old adage claiming that every good lie contains a kernel of truth.

And when it comes to modernized retellings of ancient narratives in film, one of the most fascinating happens to be John McTiernan’s underrated deconstruction of Beowulf, The 13^th Warrior. Not only is this 1999 historical thriller a misunderstood gem, but I also believe that it reinvents mythical monster slaying in such a way that it might also appeal to horror fans.

The 13^th Warrior‘s bumpy journey towards cinema screens began all the way back in 1976 with the publication of Michael Crichton’s historical fiction novel Eaters of the Dead. Wanting to prove an academic colleague wrong after he claimed that Beowulf was an uninteresting story, Crichton developed an epistolary tale where the real writer and adventurer Ahmed ibn Fadlan ends up accompanying a group of Scandinavian warriors on a quest to slay an otherworldly force that will one day become the stuff of legends. The completed novel was ultimately well-received, but it was only after the enormous success of larger Crichton projects like Twister and Jurassic Park that Hollywood decided to bring it to the big screen.

Funnily enough, Stuart Gordon was the first director to express interest in the project, but it makes sense that Touchstone Pictures chose to hire a filmmaker with prior experience in horror-adjacent stories about men standing up to larger-than-life monsters – Predator director John McTiernan. However, McTiernan and Crichton had two wildly different plans for this peculiar adaptation. While McTiernan wanted the film to be a more somber recreation of the novel’s dark reimagining of ancient legend, Crichton’s experience with blockbuster filmmaking made him to want to streamline the story and change the project into more of an epic war movie. This internal conflict only worsened as the film went overbudget, and once a series of disastrous test screenings convinced producers that the flick was headed in the wrong direction, McTiernan was fired and replaced by Crichton himself.

After a series of reshoots and a complete re-edit of the picture, the freshly renamed The 13^th Warrior was released to mixed critical reception and middling box office returns in August of 1999. In the finished film, we follow Antonio Banderas at the peak of his sexy leading man era as Ahmed ibn Fadlan, with this disgraced poet being reassigned as an ambassador to Bulgaria after having an affair with the wife of a Baghdad nobleman. While travelling through Europe, Ahmed is unwittingly recruited as the titular 13^th Warrior on an expedition led by Prince Buliwyf as he attempts to bring down the mist-borne “Wendol” that have been raiding Norsemen settlements for months.

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SO WHY IS IT WORTH WATCHING?

Back in ‘99, most of the criticism lobbed towards The 13^th Warrior had to do with the film’s rushed pacing and general lack of character development. Unfortunately, while I think the film deserves to be reevaluated as something of a hidden gem (and I’m fairly certain that a lot of the negative reaction had to do with its Islamic protagonist), there’s no denying that the stitches holding this hastily butchered movie together are still quite visible even if you’re not aware of the behind-the-scenes complications.

However, despite the fact that the film is clearly missing about half-an-hour of story – and that’s not even mentioning how the break-neck pace refuses to allow the epic elements any time to breathe – the heart of the experience is still remarkably intact. There’s a highly compelling emotional core to this historical yarn, with Ahmed’s journey as a foreigner studying a new culture and learning to admire them being just as compelling as the fight against the primitive Wendols. Banderas’ casting as a middle-eastern man may be a little questionable, but he brings so much natural charm to the table that you can’t help but root for this self-centered poet-turned-warrior.

There have been other horror-adjacent Beowulf retellings (Outlander is a notable example that we’ve already covered in this column), but The 13^th Warrior stands out by applying a certain level of grounded nuance to the action. Sure, there are some egregious historical inaccuracies here (like anachronistic weapons, armor and burial rituals), but I like how McTiernan (and Crichton) contrast the barbaric nature of the Norsemen with their enemies without necessarily passing judgement on them.

There are also some incredibly bold creative choices here that are meant to further immerse audiences in this historical fable. The montage towards the beginning of the film where Ahmed observes the Vikings and steadily learns their language is the stuff of cinematic legend, and I appreciate clever little details like how the mythical “Fire Serpent” is actually just a line of fire-wielding Wendols burning a path through the forest. Hell, having our antagonists worship a prehistoric idol carved to look like a paleolithic Venus is also a cool hint towards their true nature, with this subtle foreshadowing working even better here than it does in the original book.

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AND WHAT MAKES IT HORROR ADJACENT?

There’s a very disturbing theory about how Neanderthals may have fed off of their weaker cousins, the homo sapiens. However, centuries (or perhaps even millennia) of oppression from these humanoid monsters might have led humankind to organize – likely through shared stories and religion – and wage war against a species that, while stronger and smarter, was less culturally advanced.

It’s amazing enough that Eaters of the Dead and its adaptation managed to hint at this possibility decades before this theory became mainstream, but even if this isn’t exactly how things went down in real life, you’ve got to admit that Crichton had one hell of a fun twist in his retelling of Beowulf. After all, cannibalistic cavemen are a much more grounded threat than fire-breathing dragons, and that’s why the Wendol often propel The 13^th Warrior firmly into horror territory.

In fact, I find the film’s final battle sequence entirely unnecessary, as the eerie trek into the dank caves of the Wendol in order to destroy their brood mother was enough of a satisfying climax in and of itself. That being said, the film’s fight scenes are also fascinating, with incredibly violent choreography and plenty of practical blood and guts. McTiernan chooses to depict war as more of a chaotic nightmare than a heroic endeavor – something that makes the reshoots even more obvious they seem more inclined to lean into the epic nature of the conflict instead.

The 13th Warrior may be a flawed experience, but despite its missing story beats and the occasional tonal whiplash, it’s still one of Crichton’s most interesting adaptations. And even if we never see the coveted Director’s Cut restoring the flick’s missing character moments and worldbuilding, the film we got still deserves more love – especially from genre fans wanting to experience a spooky story about man-eating Neanderthals.

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