Mongol

Mongol is about a guy that mad dogs avoid and pigeons fear. He married his childhood sweetheart, but yes it was an arranged marriage. The character Temudjin devised war strategies that would be at home at West Point. His historical persona has been depicted in previous films by Omar Shariff and made fun of on The Simpsons. Please allow me to introduce Genghis Khan.
Mongol, a Russian film by Sergei Bodrov, unreels a 12th century story of struggle, survival and dominance. The landscapes evoke the era, and battle scenes are commanding in their scope. When the film needs a quiet two character scene the dialogue and brevity are appropriate. Perhaps the CGI bloodletting, those large sprays of digital blood that we started seeing repeatedly in the last several years, is the only clue this film wasn't actually shot in 1186.
Following his life from childhood to his initial consolidation of Mongolian tribes and territory Mongol suggests that this legendary name was a charismatic leader, a fair and judicious ruler, a devoted husband, and one tough as nails bastard. There's a give and take to his art of war that makes Mongol fascinating. At one point the film even seems to suggest that majority Asians were persecuting minority Tibetan monks, mirroring the situation in China today, and championing Temudjin as the man who saved their monastery. Mongol was nominated for an Oscar, and will surely play well with fans of Kurosawa and other thoughtful war epics.