In the annals of cinema, the western-produced Greco-Judeo-Roman epic has been a staple since the early days of film, while the Chinese film industry has kept the eastern tradition alive with a string of recent historical pictures. Yet, the vast lands in between have often been overlooked. Apart from a handful of films about Genghis Khan, including John Wayne's regrettable appearance in the 1956 film The Conqueror, the Mongol hordes have not exactly ravaged the box office. So it is refreshing to see Rise of the Conqueror sally forth, with Christian Mortensen in the saddle as the 14th-century Turkic-Mongol chieftain Timur.
A Gladiator-Style Epic with Throat-Singing
This film is essentially Gladiator with added throat-singing. The man-at-arms Timur is a kingmaker caught between his native Barlas tribe, which includes his testy brother-in-law Hussayn (Mahesh Jadu), who is eager to reclaim his family's rule in Samarkand, and the occupying Mongol warmonger Tugluk (Maruf Otajonov), who appreciates Timur for his can-do attitude. Tugluk tasks Timur with advising his son, Ilias (Joshua Jo), to whom he has entrusted the city. However, this feckless scion does not appreciate the babysitter; after he poisons Timur, the latter is forced into exile with the Zoroastrian raiders he once hunted.
Surface-Handsome but Lacking Depth
With his manicured prow of a beard, Mortensen looks more like an Abu Dhabi hedge-fund manager than a fearsome warlord, and Rise of the Conqueror, directed by Jacob Schwarz, is equally surface-handsome. From the opening scene, in which an improbably kickass Timur and his wife Aljai (Yulduz Rajabova) carve up a group of Mongol assassins, the film cloaks the baroque courtyards and Central Asian wastes in pallid cinematography that gives a faintly detached, mystical air to this great clash of clans.
However, Schwarz struggles to give this biopic an assertive posture. Aside from nicely delineating the tactics at the 1365 Battle of the Mud, where Timur keeps his Chinese powder dry until the crucial moment, pivotal events such as the retaking of Samarkand are cordoned off into facile montages, presumably for budgetary reasons. The rhetorical poverty of the dialogue reflects the lack of animating spirit behind this grand-historical frieze. Lines like 'Fate is not a path you choose – it is chosen for you' are not exactly going to echo in eternity.
A Relaxed Performance in a Less-Than-Inspiring Script
With this less-than-inspiring script, Mortensen feels a shade too relaxed in the role. You would believe in him to manage your securities portfolio, but less so to found a dynasty. Rise of the Conqueror is available on digital platforms from 4 May.
