Directed by
Sergei Bodrov
124 minutes
Rated M
Reviewed by
Sharon Hurst
Mongol
Synopsis: In 1172, nine-year-old Temudgin (Odnyam Odsuren) is instructed by his father, Esugei, to choose a bride from the Merkit tribe, to establish peace between the warring factions. But the self-willed youngster chooses otherwise, from a clan they meet along the way, selecting the equally strong-willed Borte, whom he is supposed to marry five years later. Meanwhile Esugei dies, and Temudgin is threatened with death by the ambitious Targutai (Amadu Mamadakov). The boy flees and is taken in by Jamukha (Amarbold Tuvshinbayar), who becomes his blood brother. Many imprisonments and escapes later the now adult Temudgin (Asano Tadanobu) marries Borte (Khulan Chuluun) but she is stolen from him by the Merkits. Warfare ensues, with the now grown Jamukha (Honglei Sun) helping Temudgin. But these men also become great rivals, both vying for the position of Khan of all the Mongols.Writer/director Sergei Bodrov spent years researching this film. Little was written about Ghengis Khan in his own time. There exists a lengthy poem called “Secret History of the Mongols” written some time after Ghengis’s death, but Bodrov filled in a lot of gaps in his story with what he imagined may have happened. For example, during a period of ten years in which Temudgin disappeared, Bodrov has Ghengis as a prisoner of the Tangut empire, a Chinese people he subsequently vanquished. Whilst in popular imagination Ghengis Khan is a name synonymous with the image of a brutal, vicious leader, Mongol paints a rather different picture. Here he is seen as a visionary – a man with the inspiration and leadership to unite countless warring tribes into one mighty empire - and a loving husband and caring father.
What really counts in this film is that we know from the outset that we are watching a bona fide epic – a glorious far-reaching, spectacular film that is beautifully acted, scripted and a cinematographic delight. The film was shot in isolated parts of Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. Some of the scenes are so breathtakingly beautiful that the eye simply lingers on the visual before the mind catches up with the plot! The battle sequences are breath-taking, with Bodrov casting hundreds of stuntmen from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to give authenticity to the horse-handling warriors.
Casting of the main roles is remarkable. The children playing Borte, Temudgin and Jamukha are extraordinary, especially young Odsuren who brings a healthy dose of self-confidence and arrogance to the embryonic Genghis Khan. But then we have Japanese heartthrob Asano as the adult Temudgin, who has dignity, strength and fortitude in abundance. Honglei Sun is Chinese and exceptional as the adult Jamukha, while Chuluun, a genuine Mongolian woman, is incandescent as Borte, the love of Ghengis Khan’s life. Her long-suffering patience perhaps makes her the true hero of the story.
With its brilliant blend of intimate love-story, historical fiction, epic battles and glorious scenery, this is a film to teach Hollywood how to really make a blockbuster.
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