Originally Posted by GP_Punk

Mongol

Just saw this movie at a local art-house cinema a few days ago. Not sure if it ever got a wide release, but it's been doing its rounds in festivals for a while now and it was nominated for an Oscar last year.
It essentially tells the story of the first years of the life of Genghis Khan up to his rise as the leader of the Mongols and their unification.
Typical of "epic" movies, it boasts some fantastic cinematography and some heavyweight performances.
It falls a tad short on some other things though. The story of Genghis Khan is itself a pretty cloudy affair, being half-fact and half-legend. The movie apparently tries to retain this by "rushing" past some things not described in the myth to maintain the mystique.
For example, the hero will leave his wife and the next scene he'll return years later having gathered an army. This combined with the running time (a "modest" 2 hours + change) gives it a feeling of being a bit rushed.
It's very rare that a 2-hour movie leaves you wishing for more, but it really would benefit greatly from another half hour or so.
Still, some great stuff here.

Recommended if only for it's fantastic landscapes, great battles and legendary story.