| Mongol
Genghis Khan. Everyone knows who he is, few know much more than “Barbarous Mongol leader who took over half the known world.” It’s an intriguing story, and the basis for this, the Oscar-nominated first in a proposed trilogy by Sergei Bodrov that chronicles the rise and fall of the brutal leader.
Such a trilogy usually follows the tried and tested pattern of “Rise-Glory Days-Fall” and this appears to be the case here, with Mongol showing the early days of Temudjin, as he was then known, right up until he assumes the mantel we know him by today. It is an epic tale, and the cinematography reflects this, with sweeping shots of the Mongolian Steppe, and a generally grandiose feel to everything.
The film does a good job of giving some idea of what life was like before the Horde was united under Temujin—it was a simple life whereby small clans farmed, hunted, and fought each other for the best locations for hunting and farming. Young Temujin, son of a small tribal leader, learns the lessons of life the hard way, with plenty of rivals for his position. Much of the film shows how he deals with this, and deal with it he must, as the alternative is death.
The first thing to note about the film is how revisionist it is—the Temudjin we see does little that is much more evil than something a cunning politician or business man would do. Yes, he is cunning, manipulative and devious, but his morals are clear and he sticks to them to the end. Thankfully, the script stops short of portraying him as heroic, but it's still hard to disagree with much of what he does. Perhaps the second film will show him in a darker light, but who knows?
Speaking of the script, it’s is simplistic, as befits a simple people, but it still draws good performances from a cast few in the West will be familiar with. Temudjin himself is played by Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano, whose obvious struggle with the language actually seems to enhance his portrayal of the character as thoughtful, beaten down, and driven by his determination to unite his people under a single banner—his own, of course. A devoted family man, this Temudjin never stops thinking of his wife despite appearing to see her for about a week most years. Fortunately, he isn’t shown as a superhero overcoming his adversity, it’s down to fortune and some useful allies that he is able to succeed, his talent not being enough. This makes a refreshing change from a typical Hollywood film in which the main character is pretty much indestructible and unfazable.
Only two other characters are given any depth in the film, that of his friend and rival Jamukha, and his wife Borte. Both work very well, with the former balancing just right the respect and friendship they share with the differing attitudes they have and the knowledge that only one can be master over the other. The latter could easily fail due to the simple script, but instead Borte is shown as a strong woman in her own right, and, critically, the kind in whom Temudjin would be interested. It’s just unfortunate that Khulan Chuluun doesn’t quite make clear why she is so passive in her acceptance of her husband's absence for years at a time after only a few days at home.
Although everything does seem to work very well, it is far from a perfect film. For one thing, the near total disregard for any characters out with the main three is unfortunate. Several characters look like they could have some sort of story based around them (Daritai and Altan being good examples) but nothing happens. For another, the acting, while good, is impaired a little by the script, which basically has the three protagonists responding in the same way to everything - Temudjin with determined reflection, Borte with a frustrated “He’ll be ok” or “Please come back sooner than you did last time” and Jamukah with a frustrated sigh of “My brother is a crafty thing, should have expected this”.
Perhaps more significantly though, the film seems to fall a bit flat in the final half hour. After spending an acceptable but perhaps longer than necessary time on the very early years of Temudjin’s life, it’s a real shame to see the ending rushed so much. I won’t spoil it by saying what was rushed, but it’s obvious when you see it. It’s here when the film becomes very obviously just the first part in a trilogy, with parts seeming to scream "Hang on, this bit is more in the tone of what happens in part two, can’t show that sort of thing here". It’s all a bit annoying, and ultimately anti-climactic.
Despite this, I really enjoyed Mongol. There’s a lot to enjoy. But like so many films made with the sequel already preplanned, it doesn’t stand alone as well as it could, and as a standalone film is little short of a cop-out due to the ending. I must say though I’m very much looking forward to the sequel, which, if it fixes this film’s flaws, could be a masterpiece. Overall therefore Mongol falls a little short of greatness, but is nonetheless highly enjoyable and as such highly recommended
Mongol is out now. |
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