I was unfortunate enough years back to have seen the god-awful film, THE CONQUERER, which starred John Wayne as, of all people, "Genghis Khan"!! To make things worse, his Mongol Princess, Borte, and his mother were both played by red-heads (Susan Hayward and Agnes Morehead respectively). The film was a boring mess--filled with gobs of in accuracies and laughable scenes.

Fortunately, someone finally decided to make a GOOD film about Khan and I just finished watching MONGOL. While the history teacher in me wasn't 100% satisfied (but I rarely am),at least the basic film was accurate--or very close to being accurate--something that never happened in THE CONQUERER. Part of the problem about doing a film about this man is that information about him is scant--mostly because nomadic Mongols weren't exactly known for their literary skills! Part of the problem is that in the surviving documents from the time just after the death of the Khan, there are many gaps as well. Part of the problem is that the movie often combined events or skipped events--most probably due to time constraints. Because of this, the film seemed spotty--with too many places where it seemed like scenes were missing. I wished they'd tightened this up a bit, but it wasn't a serious problem.

The worst of these spotty places was after Temudgin (the future Genghis Khan) escaped from slavery and he lived with his wife and two children. He left his family after announcing that he had work to do in uniting the clans. In the very next scene (which took place years later),he's the leader of a huge army--maybe 50,000 strong! How did THIS happen?! I guess we just need to use our imagination.

Despite these small problems, the spirit of the Mongols and Khan are intact here. The battle scenes are exceptional and very bloody (as they should have been),though I was surprised you didn't see more cavalry and bows, as they were the backbone of the Mongol armies. Often, you see people fighting on foot and with swords and I am left wondering if this would have been the case. Of course, it is possible that the horse and bow were innovations first exploited by Khan--I was just surprised I only rarely saw bowmen on horseback. BUT, compared to THE CONQUERER, it was a huge leap forward and I was also impressed that the film makers did such a thorough job with filming on site and with the costumes.

An excellent film and I look forward to the two sequels that are apparently in the works according to IMDb.

In 1192, Temüjin is a prisoner of the Tangut kingdom. Twenty years earlier, he's a young boy taken to choose a wife. He picks Börte and agrees to return after 5 years. His Khan father is poisoned and follower Targutai leads a revolt. Temüjin is saved when Targutai accepts the tradition of not killing children. Temüjin barely survives and makes Jamukha his blood brother. He would be taken prisoner and enslaved. With Börte, he becomes a great leader leading to a rivalry with Jamukha.

This is a compelling story. I really like the driven Temüjin boy. The action is violent. There is a desolated brutality to the landscape. The movie does get a little slow after Temüjin is imprisoned in Tangut. It needs to raise the intensity of that section leading up to the climatic battle.

it is a historical movie and example of impressive cinematography. it has a story who reminds the old legends and a spectacular force of image. a film about the conquest of power, sacrifice and fight. who remains, years ago, like a touching memory about a special form of miracle. more than a film about Genghis Khan first steps for dominate the Mongols, it is a poem in image. the landscapes, the dialogs, the crumbs of myth, the social picture, the spirit of great legends, the power as tool for define itself. a film who, again and again, rediscover the beauty, savage universe. reminds the old rules. preserves the delicacy of mystery.