Mongol (2008)

Mongol tells the story of the early days of Genghis Khan, then known as Temudgin. Though its billed as being based on "leading scholarly accounts," Sergei Bodrov's film has plenty of room to be creative, as little detail is known of Genghis Khan's early life. Here, we see boy Temudgin betrothed before entering a life of conflict with unfriendly barbarian tribes and rivals for his inherited leadership role. It's also a love story that keeps coming back to that childhood bride. Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano speaks Mongolian to play Temudgin, and it's a credibly tough performance. Bodrov's choice—along with co-writer Arif Aliyev—to portray Genghis Khan as a tender romantic isn't entirely convincing, buy then this is part one of a projected trilogy, so the character is still a uniter, not a conqueror. In the end, despite the film's conflict, horseback action, and romance, Mongol is just a bit dull.