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Tuesday, 24 June 2008 |
 Starring Tadanobu Asano, Honglei Sun; Directed by Sergei Bodrov
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 misunderstandings about a man who ruled half the known world.
Bodrov’s concern is with Temudgin (later Genghis Khan) as a young boy, and the forces that shaped the 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 lived, and adds a measured beauty to relentless blood-curdling battle-scenes. In 1192 AD, fighting was a way of north Asian life, and for Temudgin, a daily battle that would 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 – the Khan’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 turn an eye-catching runner into a dazzling tapestry.
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