Susan Granger’s review of “Mongol” (Picturehouse)
The theatrical trailer for this ferocious historical epic is a bit misleading. It appears to revolve around Genghis Khan, the 13th century conqueror of Asia and the Middle East, when, in reality, this – the first of a trilogy – is a coming-of-age story about the nomadic boy who eventually became a great warrior
Set between 1172 and 1206, it begins with nine year-old Prince Temudgin (Odnyam Odsuren) traveling the steppes on horseback with his father, Khan Esugei, the tribal leader, en route to broker a bride from a traditional rival, the powerful Merkits. En route, they stop overnight with a lesser tribe but it’s here that Temudgin spies tall, spunky 10 year-old Borte (Bayartseteg Erdenebat) and – much to his father’s dismay – chooses her instead. (There’s a wonderful scene as the eligible girls are lined up for his perusal.) The wedding is set in five years. But en route home, Esugei is poisoned, the family yurt (a portable, circular structure with a wood frame) is looted and Temudgin is captured. Reckless but resilient, the lad is often imprisoned, yet repeatedly escapes. When he grows up (as played by Japanese star Tadanobu Asano), he then embarks on a quest not only to recapture what is rightfully his, including Borte (now played by Khulan Chuluun), but also to unite various warring factions and modernize Central Asia.
Oscar-nominated director Sergei Bodrov (“Prisoner of the Mountains”) is from Russia, a territory that was once plundered by Khan’s troops. He and screenwriter Arif Aliyev have created a solemn, somewhat ponderous family drama/adventure saga, studded with violent carnage and nuances of the exotic Kazakh culture.
In Mongolian with English subtitles, on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Mongol” is a sweeping, blood-soaked 7. Beware the wrath of Khan.
