There are two ways to approach Mongolian military drama Marked Man, also known as The Warlord. If you compare this movie to similar productions from other countries, the lack of budget becomes quite obvious which leads to an absence of gripping action scenes and reduces this film to a documentary-styled drama with propagandistic tendancies. On the other side, it's also possible to analyze this movie as one of the few films to come out of Mongolia that manages to entertain and teach international viewers about the way the Second World War unfolded in that country.
This movie deals with the Battles of Khalkhin Gol between Mongolia and Japan that took place between May and September 1939. The story follows courageous private Dandar who becomes the commander of a horse battalion upon his superior's death. Even though the Japanese have better equipment, Dandar's heroic leadership manages to push back the enemy and leads to a surprising Mongolian victory which is followed by a ceasefire agreement. However, an investigator suspects that Dandar might have orchestrated his superior's death in order to become a commander and even accuses him to be a spy for the Japanese. Things get even more complicated when the Soviet Union gets involved as their ideological convictions clash with traditional Mongolian culture. Heroic commander Dandar becomes an outcast, is accused of treason in a fake trial and has to serve time in a prisoner-of-war camp with the very enemies he had defeated.
As you can see, the movie's plot is diversified, emotional and intriguing. The characters are authentic and charismatic. The locations have been chosen with care. Especially the final twenty minutes that take place after the battles provide much depth.
On the other side, the fight scenes in this film are static and repetitive. Some side characters and their intentions remain mysterious or superficial as only the main character is going through significant development. The movie misses the occasion to portray how the former commander gets along with the Japanese soldiers in the prisoner-of-war camp. The movie's biggest issue is the dreadful American English dubbing that is often out of rhythm and even missing entire lines. I would have prefered to watch this movie in Mongolian with English subtitles.
In the end, military drama Marked Man is of interest for those who care about Mongolian culture and history. Even in a globalized world, it's rare to find a Mongolian movie and even more difficult to find one that doesn't deal with Genghis Khan and his offspring. This movie tells us about an unknown part of the Second World War and the story is intriguing enough for me to pardon the film's cheap budget, dreadful dubbing and dated fight scenes. If you are looking for a great military film, you have to look elsewhere but if you want to watch a historical drama, you might actually appreciate this movie like I did.
