[Friday-14] Mongol

Do not scorn a tiger cub,
one day it'll become a brutal tiger.
(Mongolian Proverb)

The very first scene seen on the screen was the portrayal of the aforementioned Mongolian Proverb in big, red words. Wow. Awesome. It served the purpose of being the foretaste or may be, the summary of this rather scenic and brutal epic film.

Mongol is a semi-historical, epic war film (2007) about the early life of Temüjin or Genghis Khan, the Khan (ruler/founder) of the Mongol Empire.

Most film critics gave rather impressive ratings for this movie, directed by acclaimed Russian director, Sergei Bodrov. I'm impressed with the assembly of the crew. The director is a Russian, lead stars are Tadanobu Asano, a Japanese actor who took on the role of Temüjin; Sun Honglei, a Chinese actor who played Jamukha, the bitter rival of Temüjin; Chuluuny Khulan, a young Mongolian actress who was casted as Börte, the wife of Genghis Khan. All conversations among the leading actors were in the Mongolian language, except for scenes that featured the Tangut Empire, whereby we can hear Mandarin. I wonder how a Japanese and a Chinese can speak in Mongolian?

Also, according to Wikipedia's site about Mongol (film), the film was an international co-production between companies in Germany, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. Shooting took place, for the most part, in the People's Republic of China, principally Inner Mongolia (the Mongol autonomous region), and in Kazakhstan.

Besides being such an international collaboration, you'll also see different phases of the scenic Mongolian steppe / landscape during spring, summer, autumn, and winter - awesome! You'll also be served with the idea of Genghis Khan as a romantic, loyal man and a devotic father. You'll also see quite a number of horses-tumbled-over-while-men-charged-forward scenes and slow-motion epic battle sequences with blood and limbs flying all over the place.

I guess you've my verdict. Go for it if you're a fan of epic-action war films punctuated by some lovey-dovey scenes to minimize the tension from the hooves-thundering and blood-splattering scenes. If you like 300 the movie and Braveheart, you'll enjoy watching Mongol.

Check out Mongol | Official Movie Site.