This pretended spectacular epic film about Mongol emperor Genghis Kan's early years is simply an awful film and easily one of the worst I've seen in its kind (and believe me, I've seen most all of them).
John Wayne is completely out of place in the role of Temujin (later the Kan) just as he was as a roman centurion in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" 10 years later. Sword and costume movies never went along with the Duke.
The Conqueror is all flaws. It is slow, even boring at times,lacks emotion and strength and as it could not be otherwise looks like a western in the Mongolian golden times, and a poor one too. Director Dick Powell can't handle this mess that proved to be an impossible task for him. He is not to be blamed alone: the script is horrible and the dialogs just can't be, the costumes are funny and the musical score doesn't help a bit. The cast doesn't seem to take things seriously either.
What else is there to say? Just that my 2 out of 10 rank is because there are some average battle scenes and incredibly you have the feeling that producers didn't try to save money though the outcome also looks cheap.
If you didn't see "The Conqueror" please don't! Just remember Wayne as the fine western's star he was.