THE PRINCESS WARRIOR -- Haphazard Period Biopic Lacks Cohesion

Review by Daniel Lima

As aggravating as the standard biopic formula can be, there’s something to be said about using a conventional, familiar narrative structure to convey information about a fascinating life lived. This is especially true when the figure whose life is being dramatized lived a life of violence, and you can pepper in exciting set pieces into the story. It is thus doubly disappointing that the Mongolian film The Princess Warrior​ fails both as a rousing action film and as a biographical drama about an interesting woman.

The woman in question is Khutulun, a Mongolian noble born in the mid-13th century, shortly before the establishment of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in China. Unlike most women of that era, she was schooled in martial affairs, being an accomplished fighter, archer, and equestrian. The film tells the tale of an attempt made on her father’s life by the forces of Kublai Khan, who established the Yuan dynasty, and the subsequent stealing of her family’s “Golden Sutra.” Ignored by her own family, Khutulun goes on a quest to get back the text before it ends up in Kublai Khan, joined by a small band of loyal warriors. ​
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The princess is a well-known figure in Mongolia, and this film was almost certainly produced for a Mongolian audience, so there may well be many details that the filmmakers simply assumed the audience would already be aware of. As an ignorant American, I must confess that plenty did not register to me. For example, it is not made explicit that Khutulun’s father is, in fact, a relative of Kublai Khan; similarly, what precisely the Golden Sutra is and how it would benefit the emperor of China is unclear. This could also be the result of poor dubbing, but whatever the cause, the result is difficulty understanding the actual narrative and emotional stakes.

It does not help that the film feels so threadbare as it is. The plot moves along briskly, introducing characters without setting them up, killing them off just as quickly, and creating new challenges for the heroes only to solve them a few moments later. Scenes often transition into one another with a fade to black, giving the entire production an amateurish, edited-in-Windows-Moviemaker feel that clashes with the historical epic that it is intended to be.

That said, it should be noted that the screener I received had a runtime of 86 minutes, while the listed runtime of the film on IMDb is 109 minutes. Perhaps that listed information is wrong, or perhaps Film Movement excised 23 minutes of the film, presumably to streamline it and get to the action. If the latter, it’s hard not to wonder whether the footage would have given the film a less haphazard feel.

The action is both ambitious and incredibly frustrating. It seems like some effort went into choreographing the numerous fights, with a surprising level of complexity, and all the brawls are captured in long wides that show the breadth of the performers’ movements. This is certainly better than an action scene shot for coverage and assembled in post, but it is clear that the actors either are not trained stuntpeople or they had little time actually to practice the choreography. The moves are all clumsy, stiff, and slow, and the fact there is so little cutting or close-ups hampers the ability to generate any energy through film craft. As appreciative as I am to see lower-budget filmmakers avoid simply obscuring their action, just a bit more effort could make for more dynamic, memorable fights.

Ultimately, The Princess Warrior is hard to recommend. If someone were curious about the life of Khutulun, other resources would have more information; if someone wanted some cool period action scenes, there are countless better options. The most I can muster is that the costumes are rather ornate and beautiful, a sharp contrast to typical Western depictions of the Mongols as a barbarous horde. That is not enough to support even a truncated runtime. 

The Princess Warrior is now available on VOD and digital.

Rating: 2/5