Mongol

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Mongol

R

Released Jun 6, 2008

2h 6m

History

Drama

Adventure

War

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

102 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

This fact-based epic traces the early and tumultuous years of legendary warrior Genghis Khan, then known as Temudgin (Tadanobu Asano). Despite the killing of his father, the betrayal of his friend, and even being forced to serve as a slave, Temudgin still creates his own path for future greatness. He hones his battle skills and marries Borte (Khulan Chuluun), whose love and reliability are crucial, often overlooked elements to his historic success as a conqueror.

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Critics Consensus

The sweeping Mongol mixes romance, family drama, and enough flesh-ripping battle scenes to make sense of Ghenghis Khan's legendary stature.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Stunning to look at, but as an engaging, illuminating, convincing piece of cinema? No, not really.

Jan 27, 2018

Full Review

Ben Kenigsberg

Time Out

Rated: 3/5

Nov 18, 2011

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Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

Rated: 2/5

Nov 17, 2011

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mongol redeems sweeping epics filled with armies engaging in bloody swordplay, volleys of arrows, and slow-motion combat, even while embracing all their formulaic elements, by simply getting it right.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 9, 2024

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Gorgeous imagery, visceral battles, and powerful storytelling.

Rated: 8/10

Nov 28, 2020

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Surprisingly accurate historically, beautifully designed, and well-acted.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 17, 2020

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Marcus E

Pretty good, but this was a tough watch. This man lived a brutal life which my only complaint is they didn't cover the second part of his life (conqiering).

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/24

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Sergey B

Tadanobu Asano (who does a great job in Shogun 2024) as Temudgin is a visual treat, but that's it - no proper character development, no story development, the film overall feels cheap and hastily made.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/24/24

Full Review

home o

this is how you tell a story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

Full Review

dave s

Director Sergei Bodrov has proven that he has an eye for capturing rugged, sweeping vistas on film (Prisoner of the Mountains, for example), but nothing previously could have prepared audiences for the visual wonders of Mongol, an epic that tells the story of Genghis Khan as a child and young adult. Shot in both Kazakhstan and the wind-swept steppes of Mongolia, the first half of the film follows his life from the age of nine as the foundations are set for him to fulfil his destiny as a ruler. The second half of the movie is filled with Kurosawa-like battle scenes, all epic in nature and filled with clashing steel and dripping blood. The acting is subdued but effective, the music score is wonderful, and the entire film is a tribute to the intoxicating allure of both love and power.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

A tender, realistic, and unabashedly favorable depiction of one of history's most vicious mass murderers.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

It's a nice watch. But I feel like this guy was not glorified - wasn't he like the biggest rapist ever?

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Sergey Bodrov

Director

Tadanobu Asano

Temudgin

Honglei Sun

Jamukha

Khulan Chuluun

Borte

Amadu Mamadakov

Targutai

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Synopsis

This fact-based epic traces the early and tumultuous years of legendary warrior Genghis Khan, then known as Temudgin (Tadanobu Asano). Despite the killing of his father, the betrayal of his friend, and even being forced to serve as a slave, Temudgin still creates his own path for future greatness. He hones his battle skills and marries Borte (Khulan Chuluun), whose love and reliability are crucial, often overlooked elements to his historic success as a conqueror.

Director: Sergey Bodrov
Screenwriter: Sergey Bodrov, Arif Aliyev
Distributor: Picturehouse
Production Co: Kinokompaniya CTB
Rating: R (Sequences of Bloody Warfare)
Genre: History, Drama, Adventure, War, Biography
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 6, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.7M
Runtime: 2h 6m

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