NOMAD: THE WARRIOR is a nationalistic historical epic from Kazakhstan that attempts to tap into the pride of the Eurasian country’s pre-Russian era and Kazakh heritage, once dominated by nomadic tribalism. Budgeted at over $40 million, it is the country’s most expensive film ever produced. It boasts an international cast that includes Jay Hernandez (HOSTEL: PART 2), Mark Dacascos (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF), Jason Scott Lee (DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY), and Mexican actor Kuno Becker starring as a dashing, young warrior destined to unite the Kazakh tribes in defense of their lands against invading Dzungar tribesmen.

Although filled with beautifully-shot imagery that includes the majestic steppes of Northern Central Asia, hordes of galloping horsemen in full tribal regalia and elaborate and bloody battle sequences, NOMAD cannot overcome Rustam Ibragimbekov’s bland script, the flaccid acting of the mostly non-Kazakh leading cast nor the generic, made-for-television grade direction of Sergei Bodrov and Ivan Passer. It probably doesn’t help that the production was plagued by problems related to financing, bad weather, key crew changes, and the meddling of The Weinstein Company who may have pumped additional funds into the production yet also ordering up additional battle sequences and greater emphasis on a stereotypical romantic angle. To be fair, they may have saw greater shortcomings early on and made the attempt to salvage their investment.

Unfortunately, the film’s story is a stale, plot hole-riddled snoozer that neither does the Kazakh people justice nor should be seen by many as any more entertaining or involving than watching snails mate. The gist is that in the 18th century, a wise Kazakh tribesman named Oraz (Lee) rescues an infant from marauding Dzungar (aka Jungar) warriors who are led by Sharish (Dacascos). Oraz miraculously identifies this child as a prophesized, future leader of his people and sets out to raise and train him along with a select group of children from different Kazakh tribes. The film glosses over their equestrian and combat training during their growth into young men. Little attempt is made to create any identity among them save for the hero, Mansur (Becker) and his buddy Erali (Hernandez). These two become rivals in their shared affection for a young tribeswoman named Gauhar (Ayanat Yesmagambetova).

The middle act is mostly a goofy sideshow as Mansur, Erali and Gauhar all find themselves individually captured by the Dzungar and struggling to gain their freedom. Mansur and Erali must both fight in a gladiatorial contest to earn their freedom and not surprisingly they end up pitted against each other while the frightened Gauhar looks on.

Eventually, this little captive love triangle is resolved and Mansur gets back to the business of fulfilling his destiny by making his escape and prepping the Kazakhs for war with the invading Dzungar, now equipped with foreign cannons. One hundred days of fighting are compressed into roughly 10 minutes of mounted skirmishes, sieges, massive explosions, and one graphically drawn and quartered luckless sod.

Everything is predictably laid out in routine fashion. We’ve seen it before in countless other historical epics possessing far more substantial characterizations and gut-wrenching battles. Aside from the polished production design and a few token references to the culture such as reverence held for horses, NOMAD looks mostly like a pitifully desperate cry for international attention and respect. I really don’t mean to knock Kazakhs, especially when they have already been kicked around enough by BORAT but putting foreigners into leading roles, dubbing their English dialogue into Kazakh and putting them into a flag-waving plot dominated by high school-level romantic drivel that could have appeared in any U.S. made-for-TV movie is not the way to successfully break onto the international stage.

At least martial arts movie fans can appreciate the involvement of three individuals, Jason Scott Lee and Mark Dacascos in key roles, along with fight choreographer Richard Norton. Lee doesn’t perform any substantial fighting but Dacascos does. He notably duels Becker in a Kazakh-style joust that ends with a very satisfying and gruesome finishing move.

It’s spread way to too thin, yet the action choreography is almost as slick as the cinematography and is refreshingly put together with few noticeable gimmicks such as computer effects or stylized editing. I don’t know how deeply involved Norton was in the crafting of the film’s massive battle sequences but they’re put together with the proficiency of a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. A lot of sword and spear work is displayed although I do wish the directors had given the combat techniques more distinction. For instance, the Dzungar were well known for their mounted archery skills yet this is never emphasized. With a long history in the area of tribal and regional warfare dating back to the conquests of Ghengis Khan, there must be distinct martial traditions that have survived in some form. It may seem unimportant to non-action filmmakers, yet well-defined, signature combat techniques play a vital role in a movie like this. It can be seen quite clearly in the likes of BRAVEHEART, MUSA and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Not enough quality movies concerning the history and culture of Eurasian territories like Kazakhstan get made or gain international attention. Like any other culture, Kazakhs deserve to have their greatest moments in history immortalized in world cinema, for the benefit of their local economy, their national pride and for international audiences who gain new understanding and appreciation for their culture. NOMAD is far from the worst filmic representative imaginable but it sure falls far below the potential is eludes to.

To put this review in perspective, it is very difficult to make a great historical epic, even for talented modern filmmakers like Oliver Stone. David Lean, Sergei Eisenstein and Cecil B. DeMille are rare masters of this particular genre. Few filmmakers with far greater resources than the makers of NOMAD had at their disposal have faired any better. With expectations held in check, I recommend that anyone curious about this production at least rent it once. It possesses enough merit to warrant that, if not a DVD purchase from less discriminating viewers.

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