| Product: |
Mongol (DVD) |
| Date: |
25/07/08 (89 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Excellent central trio of performances, stunning visuals, well told tale
Disadvantages: Some lazy plotting, lack of firm historical detail, not really multiplex friendly
If I said this film was about the early years of the warrior Temudjin, the chances are you'd reply "who?" On the other hand, if I told you Temudjin is better known to the world as Genghis Khan, conqueror of half the known world in the 12th century, you'd understand a little better.
It's just a shame that even when they realize what Mongol is about, most won't go to see it - either because it's not on at their local cinema, or they prefer something more "Hollywoodised". Throw in the fact that Mongol is subtitled and that will put even more people off.
Which is their loss, because Mongol is a riveting film, as gripping and fascinating as anything Hollywood has offered us so far this year and a welcome addition to world cinema. It has superb characterization, some top quality acting, spectacular set-pieces and stunning scenery. What more could you ask for?
Mongol faces an immediate problem, which is that not that much is actually known about the early life of Temudjin. Yet this issue is skilfully circumnavigated. If you came into this film not knowing much, you would not believe that large parts of it are "re-imagined", so skilful and interesting is the storytelling. For the most part, the people and places all feel incredibly real, as though you are watching a "proper" biography. I have no idea how accurate it really is, but that's not important. This is a film of feelings, a sumptuous visual experience and an interesting character study, rather than attempting to position itself as a factual recreation. The important point is that it sucks you into Temudjin's world, getting you to invest deeply in the lives of these characters.
It's characters which are very much the strong point of this film. Although at times there is a cast of hundreds, there are just a handful of key ones. Chief amongst these is obviously Temudjin himself, skilfully played by Tadanobu Asano. Asano gives Temudjin all the traits he needs to be believable. He is taciturn, has great strength and skills of endurance and tremendous fighting ability. More importantly, though, Asano gives him a very human side - a touching and loving relationship with his wife, strong leadership skills and a wise nature. Importantly, Asano also gives him just a slight air of vulnerability which makes Temudjin easy to sympathise with.
Backing up Asano's performance is Khulan Chuluun as his wife. She proves a very strong female character, guiding Temudjin to be a better leader and helping him to stay strong. For all its pretensions to grandeur, at its heart, Mongol is little more than a simple love story, and it's the performances of Asano and Chuluun that keep the film grounded. Honglei Sun is gives an excellent, nuanced performance as Jamukha - rival in power to Temudjin - a relationship made all the more tangled and touching by the fact the two enemies have the utmost respect for each other and would much rather be friends.
Don't run away with the impression that this is a dull film, though. For all the concentration on Temudjin's relationship with his wife and Jamukha, there are still some spectacular sequences. Director Sergei Bodrov makes superb use of outdoor locations, with some incredible vistas and truly spectacular scenery acting as the backdrop for much of the action and providing a stunning, visually sumptuous film. This is another reason for trying to track it down at the cinema - the impressiveness of the visuals will inevitably lose something when translated to the small screen.
Similarly, the set-piece battles, although limited in both number and duration are ferocious things. Battles are brief, brutal and bloody. They are also far more realistic than most things Hollywood can offer. They are often slightly confused - a mass of bodies stabbing, chopping, bleeding and dying. This helps continues the realistic nature of the film, whilst at the same time providing a little bit of action to break up the more dialogue-heavy scenes.
The script too is very well-written, although it may annoy some. As already mentioned, some things are made up or guessed at, which makes the plotting a little fragmented at times. It does, however, always feel entirely plausible and is written in such a way that it grabs your attention from the start. I became so engrossed in the fate of this man that I never once looked at my watch, despite the two hour plus running time.
The script, however, is not perfect. Events sometimes leap about a bit and with some sequences, you're never quite sure how much time is meant to have passed since the previous scene. This makes it difficult to establish an overall time frame. Similarly, some events are unexplained, relying on "mystical" concepts which are never sufficiently explored to make them look like anything other than a convenient loophole. Believe this film, for example, and you're left with the impression that Temudjin only became Khan because it thundered on the day of his decisive battle with Jamukha. There's no doubt that superstition and mysticism played a part in Khan's psychological build-up, but there is a sense here of boiling history down to the basics.
Apart from the slightly lazy plotting, it's difficult to think of too much else that is wrong with Mongol. Some people will feel it is too long and bemoan the slightly languid pace and pedestrian story telling. In fact, this actually adds to the overall atmosphere, immersing you in Temudjin's life and environment. Some people have an innate hostility to anything with subtitle. Don't. They are excellent; the tone and language perfectly complements the film. Others still will dislike the vague attention paid to the historical facts.
There is a possibility that this is the first in a planned trilogy about the life of Genghis Khan. I hope further films come off. In the unlikely event your local multiplex does show this, make sure you see it. Better still, if you've got a local art house cinema near you, keep an eye out for it and venture in when it's on. It will be worth it.
Basic Information
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Mongol: The Rise to Power of Genghis Khan
2007
Director: Sergei Bodrov
Running time: approx. 126 minutes
Certificate: 15
© SWSt 2008
Summary: Might be difficult to track down, but it's worth the effort
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