I think that Sergei Bodrov's amazing biopic should be renamed, Genghis Khan, a Love Story because the intensely devoted relationship between the Mongol warrior and his bride is the emotional heart of this story. The film chronicles the first 30 or so hard-fought years of the life of a minor Mongolian noble named Temudjin, before he united the warring Mongol clans and became known to history as Genghis Kahn (portrayed as a child by a terrific child actor Odnyam Odsuren, and as an adult by the incredibly attractive Japanese star Tadanobu Asano). As the film opens, we see 9 year old Temedjin on the way to pick out his future bride from an enemy tribe called the Merkits. It's meant to be a peace-making gesture between the Mongols and the Merkits, but young Temedjin has other ideas. He picks his future bride Borte from a different clan. Rather, in an amusing and endearing sequence, Borte (played as a child by Bavertsetseg Erdenebat and as an adult by Mongolian actress Khulan Chuluun) picks him. Right from the start, they are equally matched. As he and his entourage head home, his father (the Khan of their tribe) is murdered, Temudjin's family is exiled, and young Temudjin becomes marked for death. Since Mongols don't kill children, his rivals decide to wait until he has grown up enough to kill him. What follows on is one misfortune after another, as Temudjin is repeatedly captured and enslaved, only to escape again and again. He's determined to survive, find his bride, and unite Mongolia under his rule. Along the way he forms a close friendship with young prince Jamukha (played by a terrific Chinese actor named Honglei Sun) and the two become blood-brothers. Temudjin will ultimately go to war over his bride and she in turn proves that she will do anything to save his life again and again. His relationship with his blood brother proves more problematic, as each vies to become Khan.

There are numerous astonishing battle sequences, including one with 1,500 sword-wielding soldiers on horseback. The camera is right down in the midst of the fighting. Folks who can't stomach violence, I gotta say this film is NOT for you. It is graphic and bloody. It is also achingly beautiful. It was filmed on location in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. The landscapes are gorgeous and everything in the film is so richly detailed that you feel as if you have been transplanted back in time and halfway across the earth. The performances were all terrific and the cinematography was top notch. The film is supposedly part one of a trilogy, though I've read that director Sergei Bodrov may not film the sequels. No matter. This was enough. It's not always historically accurate, but it's fantastic film-making.