''Nomad: The Warrior'' ( kk, Көшпенділер, Kóshpendiler) is a 2005 Kazakh historical

epic film Epic films are a style of filmmaking with large-scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The usage of the term has shifted over time, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply synonymous with big-budget filmmaking. Like epics in ...

written and co-produced by

Rustam Ibragimbekov Rustam Mammad Ibrahim oghlu Ibrahimbeyov (or Ibrahimbekov; az, Rüstəm Məmməd İbrahim oğlu İbrahimbəyov; russian: Рустам Мамед Ибрагим оглы Ибрагимбеков; 5 February 1939 – 11 March 2022) was a Soviet a ...

, executive-produced by

Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...

and

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

Sergei Bodrov Sergei Vladimirovich Bodrov ( rus, Серге́й Влади́мирович Бодро́в, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈdrof; born June 28, 1948) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer. In 2003 he was the President of the Jury at the 2 ...

Ivan Passer Ivan Passer (10 July 1933 – 9 January 2020) was a Czech film director and screenwriter, best known for his involvement in the Czechoslovak New Wave and for directing American films such as '' Born to Win'' (1971), ''Cutter's Way'' (1981) and '' ...

and Talgat Temenov. It was released on March 16, 2007 in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, distributed by

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America prior ...

. Two versions of the film were shot: one in Kazakh by Temenov for distribution in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

and one in English by Passer and Bodrov for distribution worldwide. The

government of Kazakhstan The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Үкіметі, tr, ''Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Ükımetı'') oversees a presidential republic. The President of Kazakhstan, currently Kassym- ...

invested $40 million in the

film production Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

, making it the most expensive Kazakh film ever made. ''Nomad'' was Kazakhstan's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the

79th Academy Awards The 79th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2006 and took place February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m ...

. It was also the last film that Passer directed before his death in 2020.

Plot

''Nomad'' is a historical epic set in 18th-century Kazakhstan. The film is a fictionalized account of the youth and coming-of-age of

Ablai Khan Wāli-ūllah Abū'l-Mansūr Khan ( kk, Уәлиұллаh Әбілмансұр хан, , romanized: ''Uäliūllah Äbılmansūr Han''), better known as Abylai Khan or Ablai Khan (May 23, 1711 — May 23, 1781) was a Kazakh khan of the Middle jüz ...

, a

Khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

of the Kazakh Horde, as he grows and fights to defend the fortress at

Hazrat-e Turkestan Turkistan ( kz, Түркістан, ''Türkıstan'') is a city and the administrative center of Turkistan Region of Kazakhstan, near the Syr Darya river. It is situated north-west of Shymkent on the Trans-Aral Railway between Kyzylorda to the ...

from

Dzungar Dzungar may refer to: *Dzungar people, Oirat tribes in the Dzungar Khanate *Dzungar Khanate, a historical empire * Jungar Banner, an administrative division of China *Junggar Basin The Junggar Basin () is one of the largest sedimentary basins in ...

invaders during the Kazakh-Dzungar Wars.

Cast

Kuno Becker Eduardo Kuno Becker Paz (born January 14, 1978) professionally known as Kuno Becker, is a Mexican actor and film director who has worked in telenovelas, Mexican cinema, and U.S. cinema. He is best known for his portrayal of Ruben Berrizabal in ...

as Mansur *

Jay Hernandez Javier Manuel Hernandez Jr. (born February 20, 1978), known professionally as Jay Hernandez, is an American actor and fashion model. After making his television debut in NBC's '' Hang Time'', Hernandez made his film debut opposite Kirsten Dunst ...

as Erali *

Jason Scott Lee Jason Scott Lee (; born November 19, 1966) is an American actor and martial artist. He played Mowgli in Disney's 1994 live-action adaptation of ''The Jungle Book'' and Bruce Lee in the 1993 martial arts film '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story''. He ...

as Oraz the Wise * Ayan Yesmagambetova as Gaukhar *

Mark Dacascos Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor, martial artist and television personality. He won numerous karate and kung fu championships between the ages of 7 and 18. He is known for his roles as Wo Fat in ''Hawaii Five-0'' ...

as Sharish *

Archie Kao Archie David Kao (born December 14, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He is best known to American audiences for series regulars roles on ''Chicago P.D.'', ''Power Rangers Lost Galaxy'' as well as long-running hit ''CSI: Crime Scene Inve ...

as Shangrek * Tungyshbay Jamanqulov as Abilqair * Doskhan Joljaqsynov as Galdan Ceren * Yerik Joljaqsynov as Barak * Dilnaz Akhmadieva as Hocha * Azis Beyshinaliev as Ragbat

Release dates

The

Kazakh language The Kazakh or simply Qazaq (Latin: or , Cyrillic: or , Arabic Script: or , , ) is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch spoken in Central Asia by Kazakhs. It is closely related to Nogai, Kyrgyz and Karakalpak. It is the official lan ...

version of ''Nomad'' premiered in

on 6 July 2005. The film was released in the United States on March 16, 2007 (limited release) and March 30, 2007 (wide release). І том “Алмас қылыш” (баспа “Шығыс-Батыс”, София, 2006) ІІ том “Жанталас” (баспа “Шығыс-Батыс”, София, 2007) ІІІ том “Хан Кене” (баспа “Шығыс-Батыс”, София, 2008)

Reception

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' critic Leslie Felperin, who viewed the film at the

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, s ...

wrote that, "nearly every tenge (Kazakhstan's local currency) and euro from French-based co-production partner Wild Bunch is visible on screen, judging by pic's elaborate costumes, sets and cast of a thousand or so — real people not digitally generated extras", and that co-directors "Passer and Bodrov, assisted by (per credits) 'local director' Talgat Temenov, have enough skill to make ''Nomad'' compelling by dint of old-school sincerity and sheer spectacle. .. he cast showsthe necessary displays of athletic prowess and toothsome looks, particularly from the virile Becker". In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, it was a

box office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

, as the film was only able to scrape $79,123. While most of the critics enjoyed the cinematography and the action scenes, they criticized the film for rudimentary acting, confused directing and, for some critics who saw the English version, poor dubbing. The critics especially noted that the film had very poor screenwriting, for lines such as a scene between Mansur (Kuno Becker) and Gauhar (Ayan Yesmagambetova):
Mansur: 'You have the scent of the moon.'
Gauhar: 'Does the moon have a scent?' From Las Vegas Weekly
/ref>

Awards and nominations

In addition to being Kazakhstan's entry in the race for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, Carlo Siliotto received a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nomination for Best Original Score.

References

External links

* * *
Universcinema.com

OutNow! Movie Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nomad 2005 films Kazakhstani war drama films Russian historical adventure films Kazakh-language films 2000s Russian-language films 2000s historical adventure films Films shot in Kazakhstan War epic films War adventure films Films set in the 18th century Films set in Kazakhstan 2000s biographical films Films directed by Sergei Bodrov Films produced by Ram Bergman Russian multilingual films 2005 multilingual films Films directed by Ivan Passer Films scored by Carlo Siliotto Kazakhstani historical drama films