And his brother Don
- Review By:
- tpb
- Date:
- February 8, 2009
- Movie:
- Mongol
- Director:
- Sergei Bodrov
- Released:
- 2007
- Good Guy:
- Temudjin
- Played By:
- Tadanobu Asano
- Bad Guy:
- Jamukha
- Played By:
- Honglei Sun
- MPAA Rating:
- R
- Family Friendly Ages:
- Young teens
'Mongol' is the first of a trilogy by Sergei Bodrov detailing the life of Temudjin (Tadanobu Asano), who eventually becomes the great Ghengis Khan. It is a movie that is just beautiful to watch. The landscapes, the faces, the horses, the ice, the mountains, the grassy plains, the costumes, the language, the sun, the rain, the snow, the hardships, the joys... all of it is just gorgeous to look at. On top of all of that, the story, though not relentless in its action sequences, is utterly compelling. How these primitive, Mongolian peoples survive in what looks like often brutally harsh conditions is fascinating. The lawlessness and the fragility of fortune makes one appreciate modern comforts and, at least, the illusion of stability and structure.
The battle scenes are bloody, thrilling, and down-right exhausting as they portray hand-to-hand, in-your-face, merciless detail. The outfits, whether they be worn by officers or infantry, are spectacular. And the scene where the cross-sword horsemen spread out in a thunderous, fearsome line and descend upon the throng of advancing foot soldiers in the final big battle is nothing short of stunning.
'Mongol' is not a typical action movie. There are no teeth-rattling explosions; no quips; no secret gadgets; no martial arts; and no lock-picking, teleporting, or state trooper sunglasses for these ancient Mongolians. Just great story-telling, visual splendor, and a soundtrack by a Mongolian Folk/Rock band called Altan Urag that incorporates some mesmerizing throat singing and that enhances each exquisite image magnificently.
I loved this movie. My only quibble with it is that the writer left out some of the most important scenes in the story. In one scene, Temudjin is committing himself to bring law and order to his homeland, in the next he's got an army of a zillion Mongols behind him and is facing off against his former friend. How did he do it? Because of that giant, gaping hole, I couldn't rate this one higher than a 7 plot-wise.