Mongol

Everyone has to start somewhere. Even emperors can have humble beginnings. And so the great Genghis Khan, emperor of the Mongol Empire in the 12th century, was once a boy named Temudgin. Great leaders and warriors don’t just become such though. The values and strengths that make them great can be seen at a very young age, and Temudgin definitely had what was needed, even at the tender age of nine. Russian director Sergei Bodrov’s epic Mongol follows Temudgin as he grows from precocious child to honourable master and does so with as much calculated structure and beauty as the Mongolians had regulations to follow. North American art house audiences flocked to see Mongol when it was released domestically following its Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language film. The grand battle sequences satisfied those who wanted to see Khan (played in the film as an adult by Tadanobu Asano) as a warrior and a conqueror, while the respectful and dedicated romance between Temudgin and the bride he chose when he was just nine, Borte (Khulan Chuluun), showed a civil side to Khan. The duality of the film is most suitable considering historians are divided on the kind of man Khan was. Ultimately though, Bodrov sides with those who believed Khan to be a fair leader, a reverential husband and father, and a great man whose accomplishments earned him a rightful place in the history of the world. Mongol offers nothing for fans on its home video release but the film itself is so solid I doubt fans will mind when they’re watching the bloody battle scenes for the hundredth time. Film buffs on the other hand, might be disappointed to have no insight into how Budrov made everything look so stunning and easy.