Mongol
Sometimes locations alone can be enough to transport moviegoers to another time and place. That’s certainly true of “Mongol,” a historical epic inspired by the early life of Genghis Khan. The rugged steppes of Kazakhstan stand in for similar terrain in neighboring Mongolia, and viewers will be rightly gobsmacked by the beauty and variety of the central Asian plains. Set in the late 12th Century, the movie makes clear how the unforgiving landscape spawned a fierce tribal culture. Veteran Russian writer-director Sergei Bordrov depicts an endless cycle of blood feuds. The movie gets off to a gently entertaining start as nine-year-old Temudjin, who would not be known as Genghis Khan until much later, chooses his future bride. It’s a rare moment of peace in his life, much of which will be spent under attack or in chains. Luckily, his wife turns out to be as resourceful and ruthless as he is. Bordrov has found skilled and charismatic actors to play Temudjin, his wife and his best friend-turned-enemy. But he can’t settle on a central plot or sustained conflict, and in its second hour, “Mongol” gets unwieldy. Too often the interesting stuff happens offscreen. When Temudjin sets out to unite the feuding Mongols, it should be a character-defining struggle, but instead he simply tells you in voice-over that he’s done it. At best, “Mongol” is a fine bloody spectacle — “Braveheart” meets “Gladiator” in a breathtaking locale. At worst, it’s a history lesson delivered by a distracted professor.
LISTEN: Mongol