''Nomad: The Warrior'' () is a 2005 Kazakh historical

epic film Epic films have large scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The term is slightly ambiguous, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply big-budget films. Like epics in the classical literary sense, it is often focused on a her ...

written and co-produced by Rustam Ibragimbekov and

directed Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

by Sergei Bodrov and

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 ...

. It was released on March 16, 2007, in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, distributed by

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the larg ...

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

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

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

government of Kazakhstan The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (, ''Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Ükımetı'') is the collegial body that exercises Executive branch, executive power in the Kazakhstan, Republic of Kazakhstan; The government heads the system of execu ...

invested $40 million in the

film production Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, making it the most expensive Kazakh film ever made. The film 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 ...

, but it did not make the final shortlist. 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, a Khan of the Kazakh Horde, as he grows and fights to defend the fortress at Hazrat-e Turkestan from Dzungar 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 and American cinema. He is best known for his portrayal of Ruben Berrizabal in ''So ...

as Mansur *

Jay Hernandez Javier Manuel "Jay" Hernandez (born February 20, 1978) is an American actor. After making his television debut in NBC's '' Hang Time'', he made his film debut opposite Kirsten Dunst in the romantic drama '' Crazy/Beautiful'' (2001). He has sin ...

as Erali * Jason Scott Lee 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. A 4th-degree black belt in Kajukenbo#Wun Hop Kuen Do, Wun Hop Kuen Do, he is known for his roles in Action film, action films, including ...

as Sharish *

Archie Kao Archie Kao ( Chinese: 高聖遠) 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 Investigat ...

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

Release dates

The

Kazakh language Kazakh 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 language of Kazakhstan, and has official status in the Altai Republic of Russia ...

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

Critical response

''Nomad'' has an approval rating of 6% on

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 16 reviews, and an average rating of 4.4/10. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, 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 International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, it was a

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

, 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 awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

nomination for Best Original Score.

References

External links

* *
Universcinema.com

OutNow! Movie Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nomad 2005 films 2000s war drama films 2000s historical adventure films 2000s war adventure films 2000s biographical films 2000s historical drama films Kazakhstani war drama films Kazakh-language films 2000s Russian films 2000s Russian-language films Russian historical adventure films Russian historical drama films Russian adventure drama films Russian war drama films Russian-language historical adventure films Russian-language historical drama films Russian-language adventure drama films Russian-language war adventure films Russian-language war drama films Films shot in Kazakhstan War epic films Films set in the 18th century Films set in Kazakhstan 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