Rating of
1.5/4
The Conqueror-Most expensive way to die of cancer!
Indyfreak - wrote on 09/18/15
One of the most critically maligned epics out of Hollywood's Golden Age is indeed a poorly made star vehicle whose star is grossly miscast.
John Wayne held a commanding presence throughout his career but disappearing into a role was never his strongest asset. And he sure as hell remains visibly John Wayne even though he's playing Genghis Khan but while miscast he is strangely watchable because he takes himself seriously like Tommy Wiseau in The Room. The cast of normally reliable character actors fares just as bad. Poor Susan Hayward is reduced to a shrill vamp that borders on camp far more than I'm sure she intended.
The costume design is uninspired and seem like a cluttered collection of worn outfits from similar barbarian pictures. As for the script and dialogue, like other bad historical movies, it's too reliant on figurative language for its sillier moments and too blasé for what ought to pack an emotional punch.
Its worst fault is that despite the notoriety of its subject, it's a surprisingly slack and dull movie that plods along at a yawn-inducing pace.
It's a terribly written film with a lot of good actors who are miscast and give bad performances. Yet what keeps me from giving it a lower rating is oddly John Wayne who's just as bad yet because he's always watchable, he makes it more tolerable. But just so much more tolerable.
