The 13th Warrior is one of those films that's been plagued with problems ever since it finished shooting. Originally slated for last year, the medieval action opus was shelved due to friction between director John McTiernan (Die Hard, The Hunt For Red October) and author Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, Sphere).

Antonio Banderas plays the heroic title character, who is recruited to assist an army of soldiers in a war against a strange force that is responsible for multiple village massacres.

This is a curious film that never really makes much sense. The enemy's motivation is never really explained and there really isn't a hero that you feel yourself rooting for.

Still, this is a film that's beautiful to look at and in all its mass confusion, I still enjoyed it more than McTiernan's last outing, the glossy but dull Thomas Crown Affair. It also doesn't have the typical Crichton feel--which is definitely a plus.

The 13th Warrior aspires for the scope of Braveheart, but reaches more of a Highlander feel. It won't make my best list at the year's end, but it certainly won't make my worst list either.