A very quietly meditative film with very understated, controlled acting. Mark Rylance is spectacularly quiet and almost monastic in his kind and respectful attitude toward the “barbarians”. Johnny Depp is also very controlled in his portrayal of the demonic force of the conquerors. The physical abuse toward the Mongols is not spared on the representative of the powers that be. Mark Rylance’s character is abused and ridiculed. Taking the seriousness and stark beauty of the film, the pace is indeed slow, but kept one’s attention due to the depth of character portrayed.