I like epic biopics - The Last Emperor, Kundun, Malcom X all ring good bells with me - the new kid on the block Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol" about the early life of Genghis Khan stood a chance for a while but was sadly ultimately marred by the director skipping over elements and destroying his own story arch. The sensitivity and struggle of the early part of the movie simply does not connect or link with the last third in which the humble man becomes the great Khan. We do not see how he makes the transition. The rise is too swift. I guess Bodrov intends to resolve this with further episodes of the movie but sadly he did not do justice to a classic story arch that could have made this truly amazing. My favorite Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano does a reasonable job that could quite easily have been a mind blowing one if given slightly better direction / editing. Certainly he and Khulan Chuluun who plays his lifelong love, Borte have fantastic chemistry and the joy of the film is in that and in the magnificent scenery. The first two thirds of the movie also serve as a reminder as to what tribal life was really like in all it's brutality and rawness.
Instead of a clip from the film - here's a song from a Mongolian Folk Rock Group that captures the spirit.
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