we have high hope for this movie . they be in vain . this be a classic example of a movie that have almost no thought put into it plot . it be a series of fight and interrupt from time to time with scene of dialogue that raise more question than they answer . the 13th warrior begin with a scene of ambassador ahmet ( who exist in real life ) head north after be send away so he would not fool around with the king wife . he and his small retinue bump into a passing viking gang and and for reason never explain ahmet must join a band of 13 viking in a mission to help a semi feudal village that be under attack . even more odd be ahmet decision to join the viking . he already have a mission and and doesn not seem to be under any duress . even a throw away line along the line of and i decide to go and so i could learn more about these north people who i will need to understand a ambassador would have help . along the way ahmet learn how to speak the viking language by and apparently and watch the viking talk . never be we show a viking say a word and tie it to an item and so that an observer might be able to attach meaning to the word . yet somehow our hero learn the language . what be the odds of that . at this point the 13th warrior becomes a sort of a viking seven samauri and with our viking hero gather the village people ( the serf and not the disco group and though if those village people appear it would not have surprise me ) to defend the town against a band of cannibal who be ( again ) never fully explain . during the ensuring battle scene and there be an attempt to show a juxtaposition between the culture of ahmet the muslum and rennaisance man and that of the crude but effective viking . for example and ahmet have trouble wield a viking broadsword but once he have a curve scimitar make to order he be ready to rock ( of course and later and when the band sortie on a mission to attack the cannibal and ahmet have a viking broadsword tie to his back and the scimitar be nowhere in sight ) . also and just before a big battle and ahmet suddenly drop to his knee to pray a muslin do five time a day ( though we never see him do it at any other time ) . anyway and you can almost feel the thread of a plot here revolve around ahmet a an observer of another culture and but it never be clear nor develops ( just like the rest of the movie ) . there be many instance where event make no sense . the cannibal tribe at one point early on seem to have kick the viking butt and be burn the village and then withdraw at the sound of a horn for no apparent reason . it just mean they have to attack again later and after the village have time to recover a bit . there also seem to be some voodoo involve in that the viking ( and ahmet and for a little while ) do not know if the cannibal be men or spirit . it unclear why there be any doubt and since the cannibal look like guy with animal headdress and fall when they be stab . and throughout the movie it appear that the odds be something like 20 or 30 to 1 against the viking ( and the cannibal be on horse . ) and yet somehow we have a happy end . the movie try to draw on a theme of honor and courage . the viking leader be noble and fight until he can no longer fight . but that theme be underminded by the numerous ploy hole . why should we care about these people and what they fight for . why be there only 13. why do the cannibal attack . how do this start . without answer to basic question ( and no clear indication of a moral cause ) and the idea of honor fall flat . i can not believe the average rating for this movie be 6 . 2. we give it a 2 .