History's greatest subjugator finally gets the respect he deserves with a no-nonsense drama and an all-Asian cast, shot in the very lands he once ravaged.
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06/19/08
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Mongol (2008)
87
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Reviews Counted:98
Fresh:85
Rotten:13
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: The sweeping Mongol mixes romance, family drama, and enough flesh-ripping battle scenes to make sense of Ghenghis Khan's legendary stature.
Theatrical Release:Jun 6, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $5,621,596
Synopsis: Award-winning Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov (Prisoner of the Mountains) illuminates the life and legend of Genghis Khan in his stunning historical epic, Mongol. Based on leading scholarly... [More]
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Honglei Sun, Khulan Chuluun, Odnyam Odsuren
Director: Sergei Bodrov
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Reviews for Mongol
Mongol is the first film of a proposed trilogy that charts his conquest of half the known world. If the sequels match this one, they can't come soon enough.
06/19/08
The result is a wallow in old movie pleasures, full of battles, flying dust, thousands of men on horseback, beautiful women, treachery, slaughter, really cool hats and even more slaughter.
06/19/08
Top CriticMongol offers an absorbing study of how powerful men with an abiding mutual respect, even love, go about the culturally dictated process of destroying each other.
06/19/08
The first part of what director Bodrov promises to be a trilogy tracing the life of the historic conqueror, Mongol is great cinema, great fun.
06/19/08
A grandly kitschy rendering of Genghis Khan's early years, the ones revealing how a boy became a ruthless yet humane warrior, devoted family man and all-around good fellow, Mongol might as well be called Braveheart in a Yurt.
06/19/08
Top CriticThe film, a foreign-language Oscar nominee, is epic in scope, in scale, in story, in everything. It has as much action as any brain-dead Hollywood blockbuster, but Mongol also has heart and intelligence.
06/19/08
If reading subtitles or trying to understand historical figures aren't among your lifelong ambitions, "Mongol" features some first-rate eye candy.
06/17/08
A thrilling and painstakingly researched story combined with the best costumes imaginable and superb performances makes this a biopic to see.
06/17/08
While the historical accuracy may be dodgy, Mongol is a sweeping and quasi-mythical epic that recalls Lawrence of Arabia.
06/13/08
Russian director Sergei Bodrov has made a magnificent epic which evokes some of the greats of the past, including Lawrence of Arabia.
06/13/08
You might wonder how Bodrov could fail to make every minute of Genghis Khan's extraordinary life near edge-of-the-seat involving, but there are some dull stretches before the pace picks up again.
06/13/08
'Vast landscapes, savage battles, sparring blood brothers and a poignant love story form the essence of Sergei Bodrov's spectacular epic, among whose achievements are its extraordinary sense of place and time.
06/12/08
Relates the story of Genghis Khan's early years in a plodding, uninspired fashion that doesn't bode well for the next two entries in a planned trilogy.
06/10/08
First-rate "revisionist" study of great conqueror reviled by the "civilized" West. By comparison, most world's leaders are the true barbarians, especially those in Washington, DC.
06/08/08
The audacity of filming the life of a warm & fuzzy Genghis Khan is matched by Sergei Bodrov's superior production and excellent cast, making Mongol's provocation worth the leap and bloody good entertainment, besides
06/06/08
I don't know the Mongolian word for panache, but Mongol's got plenty of it. The battle scenes are as notable for their clarity as their intensity; we can follow the strategies, get a sense of who's losing and who's winning.
06/06/08
Top CriticEven if you can't completely follow the plot, you also can't take your eyes off the scenery, the thrilling horse chases and the throat-slashing battles.
06/06/08
Top CriticThis is a historical epic like Mom -- or David Lean -- used to make. It's got transgenerational blood feuds, galloping steeds, lucky talismans carried for years by separated lovers, and steppes -- lots and lots of steppes.
06/06/08
Bold, epic battle-happy movie that humanizes the world-conqueror and gives him plenty to be aggressive about.
06/06/08
Top CriticLatest News for Mongol
January 08, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest achievements in 2008 filmmaking. A list of nominees follows below, with winners in bold: More...
October 22, 2008:
More impressed with its own olden days ready-to-rumble, flesh-ripping Far Eastern beatdowns, than fleshing out with any depth just who these characters were and how they struggled to exist back then. History as a scenic but dramatically sparse travelogue. 
More...
June 05, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Black vs. Sandler in Comedy Showdown
Two big doses of comedy from a pair of Hollywood's funniest men will hit the multiplexes across North America on Friday in a fierce battle for the number one spot. For family... More...
March 30, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review
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