Starring Tadanobu Asano, Honglei Sun
Directed by Sergei Bodro

The tale of Mongolia’s mightiest warrior comes with its fair share of carnage, yet this can-do tale of the Khan who did is not all death and decapitation.

In fact, Mongol goes some way to addressing broad misunderstandings about a man who ruled half the known world. Yet Bodrov’s concern is with a young boy and the forces that shaped a leader-to-be.

He brings a unique energy and, working with two cinematographers, a bold visual style that captures stunning landscapes and puts them to work. Elegant staging eloquently captures the untamed world in which Temudgin (later Genghis Kahn) lived and adds a measured beauty to relentless battle scenes of blood-curdling intensity.

In 1192, fighting was a way of north Asian life, and for Temudgin, a daily battle that will eventually place him opposite his blood brother and one-time confidant. Mongol puts up a good fight although the rising body count upsets the film’s pace and distracts from more interesting storylines – Kahn’s devotion to his wife and rise as a leader are passed over for digital armies rattling digital sabres.

Here is a rare film that should be longer. As it devolves into an eastern Western, a handful of threads are left hanging that if resolved, would have turned an eye-catching runner into a dazzling tapestry.

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