Blog From The Bench

So I recently spent a week at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, enjoying the desert atmosphere and taking in some cool flicks, and boy did I start off with a good one.

It’s a shame that moviegoers' views of Kazakhstan will forever be associated with the lowbrow yuks of Borat when the actual country has produced Nomad, an action-packed historical epic, with high drama, gorgeous cinematography, and sword-swinging mayhem.

The story is set in the 18th century, at a time when the country was made up of various wandering tribes of Kazaks, always under threat of attack by their enemies, the vicious Jungars. As the film begins, there’s a Moses-like prophecy that says a sultan’s son will someday unite the Kazak tribes and defeat the Jungars, so of course the baddies set out to kill the sultan’s child immediately. Fortunately, the baby is saved by the titular nomad (Jason Scott Lee, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), a mystical butt-kicker and occasional advisor to the sultan. The nomad and the sultan agree to let the nomad raise the boy in secret, so the Jungars never learn he survived.

Jump to years later, after the child, Mansur (Kuno Becker), has been trained by the nomad to be one of the most skilled warriors in all the land. Upon learning who his father is, as well as his world-changing destiny, Mansur not only has to deal with fighting the sinister Jungars, but also the strains on his relationships with his father, his best friend, and the girl he loves.

What I’ve covered above is only the first half hour or so of the movie. Not only are there plenty of twists and turns to the plot as Mansur discovers his destiny, but there are all kinds of rousing action scenes along the way as well. The obvious comparisons to make are with recent “epic battle” movies like Lord of the Rings or, more appropriately, Kingdom of Heaven. But in its tone, Nomad is more like 1982’s Conan the Barbarian. Life in the desert is rough and violent, and those who are strongest with their swords are the ones who get to live the nice life. That is, until a hero like Mansur comes along, unites the people, and creates a new peace

The festival’s guide book makes a big deal about how the action scenes in Nomad are “old school.” There are no CGI armies here; instead, whenever you see a wide shot of hundreds of barbarians hacking and slashing away at each other, those are hundreds of bona fide extras all fighting it out for our entertainment. The many swordfights are well choreographed without resorting to outlandish jumping and king fu moves, and some of my favorite scenes include some elaborate chases on horseback.

In short, Nomad is an action-packed epic that thankfully has a great story to go along with its eye-popping battles. I’m guessing a nation-wide release and even a region 1 DVD will probably never happen, but if you somehow get a chance to see this one, go for it.