Kundun

Play trailer

Kundun

PG-13

Now Playing

2h 14m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In 1937, a two-and-a-half year old boy from a simple family in Tibet was recognized as the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, and destined to become the spiritual and political leader of his people. Director Martin Scorsese brings to the screen the true story of the Dalai Lama. Told through the eyes of His Holiness, Kundun brings to life the account of the Dalai Lama's early life, from childhood through the Chinese invasion of Tibet and his journey into exile.

Now in Theaters

Now Playing

Buy Tickets

Critics Consensus

Hallucinatory but lacking in characterization, Kundun is a young Dalai Lama portrait presented as a feast of sight and sound.

Read Critics Reviews

Mike Clark

USA Today

The film is, in many ways, a remarkable achievement but also a singularly undynamic entry in the director's canon.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 9, 2018

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Vice

It's not exactly 'Goodfellas.' But it's not every filmmaker who can create works as divergent as 'Goodfellas' and 'Kundun,' either.

Dec 15, 2017

Full Review

David Edelstein

Slate

The music ties together all the pretty pictures, gives the narrative some momentum, and helps to induce a kind of alert detachment, so that you're neither especially interested nor especially bored.

Feb 1, 2010

Full Review

Julian Singleton

Cinapse

It’s fascinating to see how Scorsese explores the Dalai Lama’s faith...reckoning his steadfast belief in non-violence with the encroaching non-religious, unapologetically brutal forces that approach Tibet in the wake of World War II.

Jul 12, 2025

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Mesmerizing as visual pageantry but anemic when it comes to allowing access to this man or his religion.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 10, 2019

Full Review

Pico Iyer

The New York Review of Books

The effect is to make one feel as if one is seeing Tibet's recent history through the Dalai Lama's eyes.

Aug 17, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/11/25

Full Review

Goose R

Biopic of the 14th Dalai Lama from his a little boy up to his exile to India. Pretty interesting but the film does not explain a lot of the customs that are portrayed on the film. Still pretty interesting story 🍿🍿🍿🍿/5 on YouTube

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

Full Review

Antonella P

A beautiful, somber meditation on impermanence, the inexorability of change, and the disruptive effects of the violence of material power against spiritual wisdom. Kundun follows the 14th Dalai Lama from his childhood to his escape to India in 1959.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/23/24

Full Review

Ewa K

An overlooked movie that time has left behind. China wants you to forget about it. Do not help China to reach there goal. Watch it!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/24

Full Review

Alec B

Unfairly regarded as "Lesser Scorsese" as I think people generally missed the point of the movie. It's not really an examination of Buddhism or Tibetan culture but rather an attempt to place the audience directly in the shoes of the Dalai Lama. In a way it's sort of a spiritual sequel to Scorsese's adaption of "The Last Temptation of Christ", by asking what is truly the role of being not just a spiritual leader but a Holy Man in a world filled with doubt, hypocrisy, and complexity.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

steve d

You have seen it all before.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Martin Scorsese

Director

Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong

Dalai Lama (Adult)

Gyurme Tethong

Dalai Lama (Aged 10)

Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin

Dalai Lama (Aged 5)

Tenzin Yeshi Paichang

Dalai Lama (Aged 2)

Tencho Gyalpo

Dalai Lama's Mother

A Simple Twist of Fate

46%

55%

A Simple Twist of Fate

Watchlist

The Horse Whisperer

73%

72%

The Horse Whisperer

Watchlist

New Port South

0%

51%

New Port South

Watchlist

A Civil Action

64%

55%

A Civil Action

Watchlist

Annapolis

10%

60%

Annapolis

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Melissa Mathison: 1950-2015

The Works of Director Martin Scorsese

View more photos

Synopsis

In 1937, a two-and-a-half year old boy from a simple family in Tibet was recognized as the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, and destined to become the spiritual and political leader of his people. Director Martin Scorsese brings to the screen the true story of the Dalai Lama. Told through the eyes of His Holiness, Kundun brings to life the account of the Dalai Lama's early life, from childhood through the Chinese invasion of Tibet and his journey into exile.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Producer: Barbara De Fina
Screenwriter: Melissa Mathison
Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Production Co: Refuge Productions Inc., Touchstone Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, De Fina-Cappa
Rating: PG-13 (Violent Images)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 6, 1997, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Oct 13, 1998
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.7M
Runtime: 2h 14m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)