NOMAD: THE WARRIOR

"We must unite"

As Kazakhstan tears itself apart, a prophecy comes to pass of a warrior that will come with the spirit of Genghis Khan and unite the nomad tribes. As Oraz (Scott Lee) walks the land looking for the fabled child, the tyrants that make the people shiver in fear try to hunt down and kill the child before he can fulfil his destiny. It is Mansur (Becker) who is this fabled warrior but he faces many challenges before he can become the man he needs to be.

 

The epic movie is definitely making a comeback with the advert of computer-generated effects and a new interest in telling tales of old but can the story of a nomadic struggle enthral audiences?

Kazakhstan is probably not the country you would think of filming an historical epic but Kazakh history is one filled with tales of the great Mongol warriors that conquered most of Asia. 'Nomad: The Warrior' tells a story from Kazakh history that would lead to the country been united and a prophecy coming true. This might sound like an epic story in the making but unfortunately it doesn't quite deliver.

The tale of a warrior that will arrive to unite the Kazakhs and usher the country into a new age might sound like it has the credentials for a piece of epic cinema. Filmed in Kazakh and English, the film takes an authentic approach and recreates the era superbly. The film tries to create an epic scale on a smaller budget with some the coming together of troops and the sieges sequences looking extremely good but there is something about the movie that doesn't quite push the film into that epic category.

The cast is a mixture of Hollywood and Asian cinema. Hispanic actors Kuno Becker and Jay Hernandez play Mansur and Erali, the two best warriors that nomad clans have ever produced and most of the action centres on them. Jason Scott Lee plays the wise master who trains the two warriors. Mark Dacascos has a small but pivotal role as a villain and there are good performances from Ayana Yesmagambetova as Gaukhar and Doskhan Zholzhaksynov as Galdan Ceren. All the performances are fine but it the material that they have to work with that means the film doesn't quite make it.

'Nomad: The Warrior' is a fine effort but it isn't quite as good as it could have been. The battle sequences are not grandiose enough to make an impact and the even the one on one fights don't really set the screen alight. 'Nomad: The Warrior' had a lot of potential but it didn't quite deliver.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

None

OVERALL

The complete lack of any DVD extras for ''Nomad: The Warrior' will come as a complete let down to fans of the film. Releasing a movie without extra should be classed as a criminal offence as DVD buyers now expect a little bit more for their money than just the movie.

DVD

Curse of the Golden Flower

---

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2007