Mongol

Western society has a particular fascination with Genghis Khan. There have been numerous Hollywood movies about him including one starring John Wayne of all people as the famous general/leader. In addition to utter the term "mongol horde" is to evoke a quite vivid image of monstrous barbarians who destroy great culturals. And so Sergei Bodrov's new film which attempts to tell a more true to history narrative of Genghis Khan's rise apparently as part of a planned trilogy is an interesting mix of the legend and attempts to personalize and humanize mongol culture.

The film starts a a young Temudjin (the future Khan) accompanying his father to choose a bride that will insure peace between two clans. The young Temudjin instead chooses a young willful girl from another weaker tribe and Temudjin's father is shortly after poisoned. Temudjin grows up shunned by his clan, without a father and constantly on the run from the new leader of his clan. In this time he comes to befriend a man who becomes his blood brother, Jamukha and reunites with his chosen bride Borte.

With a mix of spiritual mysticism and a fair bit that will remind you of Conan (the latter was developed out of Genghis Khan's mythology by the way) the film follows Temudjin through his trials to adulthood including an extended stay in a prison. There are two well done set piece battles that are well plotted and full of stylized blood. The film ends with the epic battle that united all the clans under his rule and promises much more in the intended sequels of his conquest of the largest empire the world ever knew.

Tadanobu Asano plays the adult Temudjin quite well. The story occasionally steers into the mystic nature of his persona but it is not too overdone and generally works quite well. The key to the story is the relationship Temudjin has with his wife Borte. It makes for a fairly compelling romance and even has a seemingly Iliadic inspired war to regain her after she has been kidnapped. The other relationship is that with his blood brother which eventually turns to hostility.

The film's goal is epic but also rehabilitative. Focusing more on the personal to show that Temudjin was human and not perhaps the monster he is at times conceived as. It is also able to mix a nice amount of epic with personal story telling that introduces a new and interesting take on the Genghis Khan mythos that has me ernestly interested in seeing the sequels.