Review of Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007) by Kevin M — 25 Nov 2009

Genghis Khan biopic wants to be a sweeping, all-encompassing truthful account of his rise from Mongolian urchin to head of the Khanate. Either for budgetary reasons, or just poor screenwriting, battle scenes are shunted aside in favor of awkward character development. As we watch Temudgin, the Boy who Would Be Khan, rebel and wind up in prison pretty much ad nauseam for the first half, the story works its way into a depressing rut. Complex sociopolitics are forbidden here; we know more about his wife, chosen for her strong legs and uncommon bluntness, than we do about the future Khan himself. Under his beard and armor is a great void of humanity. At least the photography makes him look good as he rides off into the sunset on horseback, leaving his poor wife behind for the umpteenth time.

For whatever reason, the scenes of dialogue are hilarious, as is the remarkably unsubtle thunderstorm imagery. A friend and I were able to quip along to the hoary "dramatic" scenes at a scary clip. Sure it made the movie a lot funnier but it also hints at major problems in the script stage. Was the Russian/Chinese translation not up to snuff? Were the actors completely unfit? Were my friend and I just really, really stoned? I know the answer to at least one of these. The battle scenes are also boring, failing to deliver on gore or spectacle. Finally the whole thing just ends, after a text epilogue that's the funniest thing in the movie, by far. The amount of loose ends that are half-assedly tied up here is stunning to behold.

"Mongol" appears to have run out of money halfway through production. Will there be a more conclusive second half released soon? Or will this just be another failed historical epic, testifying to the poor state of the Chinese film industry, destined to sit on the shelf beside "Red Cliff"?