Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan

Name: Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance, War
Released: June 6, 2008
Duration: 126 min
Rating: 74
Cast: Amadu Mamadakov, Khulan Chuluun, Tadanobu Asano

2008

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 67 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 67 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Picturehouse Entertainment | Release Date: June 6, 2008 | R

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 theMongol 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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Director: Sergey Bodrov

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Romance, War

Rating: R

Runtime: 126 min

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Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer

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. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

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. The physical production is sumptuous. Read full review

Roger Ebert

As a visual spectacle, it is all but overwhelming, putting to shame some of the recent historical epics from Hollywood. If it has a flaw, and it does, it is expressed succinctly by the wife of its hero: "All Mongols do is kill and steal." Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Full of stunning views of China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan and showing an unexpected side of Genghis Kahn, Mongol feels like an old-fashioned epic. Read full review

M. E. Russell

This is a violent, romantic, beautifully shot and performed film -- with brutal battle scenes and charisma-bomb performances by Asano as the future Khan and Honglei Sun as a rival chieftain and brother-in-arms. Read full review

Jason McBride

As an epic action movie, Mongol is satisfying enough. Think "Braveheart." Think "300." Just don't think too much. Read full review

Phil Hall

Inert, inept epic. Read full review

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User Reviews

FilipeNeto

Apr 5, 2021

This remarkable film addresses the birth, childhood and rise to power of Genghis Khan, one of the greatest conquerors of all time. Personally, I was very happy with it, as it proved to be very well done and, above all, it knew how to honor the historical truth and bring Khan to life withoutThis remarkable film addresses the birth, childhood and rise to power of Genghis Khan, one of the greatest conquerors of all time. Personally, I was very happy with it, as it proved to be very well done and, above all, it knew how to honor the historical truth and bring Khan to life without obliterating history or making up too much. I will not spend much time explaining the plot, accessible to anyone who knows the story of this personality (and anyone who has access to Wikipedia). Genghis Khan was the son of a tribal chief, but he had to flee after his father's early death, due to enemies who usurped political power. From then on, his trajectory until the unification of the Mongols was a troubled journey of many years, in which he was betrayed, imprisoned, threatened and even enslaved.

The film focuses a lot on these troubled times, and is very good at telling this story realistically, with a serious commitment to the truth of the facts and the story. Of course, there are flaws... for example, the horses used by the Mongols were of a lower equine breed, more used to traveling distances in the cold steppes. I believe, however, that it is very difficult today to find this type of horses in sufficient abundance for filming, so understandable practical compromises have been made.

The cast and the production are something worthy of a super-production, on a Hollywood scale, and it is noted that there was a lot of money involved. The actors are oriental and are very good at their work. I don't know any of them, I confess, but I would like to see them work again. I enjoyed hearing them speak in their languages, not in the ubiquitous English. Everything tastes so authentic in this film that it is impossible not to like it.

Technically, it is a grandiose film, with a very elegant, sharp cinematography, with excellent colors and very well framed, which takes the best advantage of the magnificent landscapes of the region, from the steppes to the desert. The sets and the costumes are apparently as faithful to the historical portrait and time as possible. The film also has excellent scenes of struggle and epic battles, which not only allow us to perceive the bellicose and violent character of those tribes but also give movement and action to the film. The good use of visual and sound effects, and an effective and discreet soundtrack add a touch of class to the final product.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Jun 22, 2008

Incredible movie! Far beyond anything Hollywood is making any more. It is particularly refreshing to see battle scenes with thousands of real people... instead of CGI. It makes a huge difference! Everything about this movie is impressive. Location scenes are incredible. The movie grabs you Incredible movie! Far beyond anything Hollywood is making any more. It is particularly refreshing to see battle scenes with thousands of real people... instead of CGI. It makes a huge difference! Everything about this movie is impressive. Location scenes are incredible. The movie grabs you and doesn't let go. I can't wait for the next installment. I wish there were more movies of this quality!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Gus

Jun 30, 2008

Excellent historical epic with great use of visual imagery and symbolic metaphors. Solid storytelling and great, if not short, choreographed battle scenes.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

RyanS.

Jul 7, 2008

Chad S. from the advance scout team must be a typical westerner who thinks Genghis Khan was just a mindless murderer, like another review said, his reputation is more positive in the east than in the west. Someone might as well make a movie that emphasizes all the bad and awful things Chad S. from the advance scout team must be a typical westerner who thinks Genghis Khan was just a mindless murderer, like another review said, his reputation is more positive in the east than in the west. Someone might as well make a movie that emphasizes all the bad and awful things George Bush has done. … Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

bataguila

Nov 7, 2018

Buena, hasta ahí, la historia se atora en cosas intrascendentes si la idea es hacer la biografía de un guerrero conquistador. Las escenas de acción muy pobres. Tal vez su mayor valor es lo bien que plasma la cultura mogola.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ChadS.

Jun 30, 2008

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 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

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Stevvo

Jan 30, 2011

I find this movie to be an utter piece of trash . It was not entertaining , neither educational , concerning the history of Genghis Khan , it was a chaotic mixture of scenes , most of which do not make any logical sense , I mean seriously , you just cut the best part of it where he becomesI find this movie to be an utter piece of trash . It was not entertaining , neither educational , concerning the history of Genghis Khan , it was a chaotic mixture of scenes , most of which do not make any logical sense , I mean seriously , you just cut the best part of it where he becomes khan for what ? Some random scenes of ... worshiping wolves and walking in the steppes , I mean half the movie is someone walking ... really ... really ? .... Oh and the fighting scenes could have been ALOT better . I'm even more dissapointed because of the hype around this ... well , "average" would be too much to say about it , but this .... Uhhh ...… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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63	#63 Best Movie of 2008
34	#34 Most Shared Movie of 2008