Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan
Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan Image
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Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 39 Ratings

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  • Starring: Amadu Mamadakov, Khulan Chuluun, Tadanobu Asano
  • Summary: Mongol illuminates the life and legend of Genghis Khan. Based on leading scholarly accounts and Mongol delves into the dramatic and harrowing early years of the ruler who was born as Temudgin in 1162. As it follows Temudgin from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny, the film paints a multidimensional portrait of the future conqueror, revealing him not as the evil brute of hoary stereotype, but as an inspiring, fearless and visionary leader. Mongol shows us the making of an extraordinary man, and the foundation on which so much of his greatness rested: his relationship with his wife, Borte, his lifelong love and most trusted advisor. (Picturehouse)
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    91
    Mongol is a throwback to a more respectable tradition. The largeness of its scope arises naturally from the material, not the budget. The movie earns its stature.
  2. Empire
    Reviewed by: Will Lawrence
    80
    With its breathtaking landscapes, bloody battles, bitter betrayals and an aching love story, Mongol is a sumptuously crafted epic.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    60
    Every performer is tough and charismatic, especially Honglei Sun, who, as Jamukha, gives so many neck-cracks, guttural howls and conspiratorial smiles he's like a Chinese Marlon Brando.
  4. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Phil Hall
    30
    Inert, inept epic.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 5 out of 19
  1. ErnestS.
    10
    Amazing movie! completely entertaining and satisfyingly educational. After completing this film I was inspired to find out more information about genghis khan's empire and family. Everyone should see this, its just great.… Expand
  2. JayH.
    8
    7.5/10. Magnificent production, the cinematography and art direction is amazing. Great acting and direction, believably told and very convincing. It does have some slow stretches and it is overlong, but well worth seeing.… Expand
  3. MichaelB.
    7
    It's sort of like Braveheart with Asian people instead of Scots, but with maybe a fifth of the action. I would definitely recommend it if you have an interest in history (especially in that of Khan himself), but if you're looking for a huge action flick, this just isn't it.… Expand
  4. ChadS.
    4
    Some people are so well-known, or infamous, or both, when you portray them in a before-they-were-famous light, you invite unintentional laughter. For example, Menno Meyjes' "Max", which chronicled Adolph Hitler's days as a struggling painter in Munich. A man such as Hitler, so synonymous with evil, is nearly impossible to humanize. When the John Cusack character tells the Fuhrer, "You're an awfully hard man to like, Hitler," you flinch, you may even wince, because some lives might be unfilmable if the notion of a character arc seems like pure folly. Genghis Khan might be another such man, whose reputation for murder and mayhem is equally infamous and pronounced. Perhaps Mel Gibson is the only filmmaker who would be willing to make an honest film about the Mongol leader. This sanitized version of the life and times of Genghis Khan, or Temudgin, to the people who knew him way back when, plays like a western from the nineteen-fifties. Khan should be an anti-hero at best, but he's practically John Wayne in "Mongol", as the film portrays him as a man who has not an ounce of moral ambiguity or cold-blooded ruthlessness.… Expand

See all 19 User Reviews

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