Review of Kundun (1997) by Spangle — 04 Aug 2016

Though Kundun falls short of Martin Scorsese's greatest works, it is still incredibly epic, stirring, and engaging one. Part biographical look at the early years of the current Dalai Lama and part insight into the issues between Tibet and China, the film has a lot going for it.

The cinematography from Roger Deakins is awe inspiring at times, especially when it comes to its use of candlelight. The score is also fantastic and accents the film very well, while giving it the epic feel to match its wide scope.

That said, the film does have structural issues to the point that it can be somewhat disjointed. The vast majority of the scenes work very well, but they feel entirely off when put next to each other.

As a vignette into the early life of the Dalai Lama, it is brilliant, yet unclear and emotionally distant, never packing the punch it should. Fortunately, strong acting makes up for this, but this is definitely Scorsese-lite, never reaching the cohesive picture it absolutely could.

Yet, its ambition and beauty cannot be underrated and is a worthy take on the Dalai Lama and his role in Tibetan culture. Overall, Kundun is a good film that is simply held back by story issues which prevent the film from reaching the heights Scorsese aimed for.