'Mongol' review

Khulan Chuluun in "Mongol" (Credit: Alexander Zabrin/Picturehouse)

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An epic look at the early life of legendary Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan (Japanese indie star Tadanobu Asano), charting his friendship/rivalry with Mongolian chieftan Jamukha (Honglei Sun) and romance with strong-willed Borte (Chinese newcomer Khulan Chuluun).

Big question: Can this blood-soaked epic from Kazakhstan win over American audiences following its best foreign language film nomination at this year’s Oscars? (It lost to “The Counterfeiters.”)

Catch it: Did I mention “Mongol” is an epic? If that’s enough to pique your interest, you’ll enjoy Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov’s use of remote locations to stage one impressively rendered large scale sequence after the next, but…

Skip it: There’s never enough detail to make these historical figures come to life in a compelling way. Bodrov aims to dazzle, and he does, but the film’s history has already been called into question and the dramatic relationships offered up in his screenplay (co-written with Arif Aliyev) are thoroughly rote.

Bottom line: Even with an Oscar nomination, “Mongol” remains a tough sell. How many viewers are eager to sit through a two hour subtitled epic about Genghis Khan? Although that’s beyond the filmmakers’ control, their work isn't fresh or daring enough to make any potential audience indifference feel like a loss.

Bonus: Bodrov conceived “Mongol” as part one of a planned trilogy about the life of Khan, but, as of yet, there’s no news on a follow-up.

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