Mongol

Russian director Bodrov brings a beautiful, sweeping, and internationally-appealing historical epic, intended as the first installment in a trilogy of films covering the life of the infamous Genghis Khan. The story begins in 1192 as nine-year-old Temudgin (Odsuren), not yet known as Genghis Khan, is traveling with his father (Ba Sen) to meet with a rival clan to select his future bride. En route they visit a lesser clan and encounter Borte (Erdenabat), who Temudgin selects as his future bride instead. What follows are the brutal and tragedy-laden years that see the mature Temudgin (Asano) develop into the powerful leader capable of uniting the Mongol clans framed by the enduring romance and partnership between he and his wife and advisor, Borte (Chuluun). The Mongol leader is treated as a complicated, conflicted and ultimately sympathetic character in spite of the relentless bloody scenes of warring factions.