Kundun begins with the expansive search to find a child worthy of taking up the mantle of the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, and details his coming of age (where he quickly discovers the immensity of his charge) before having to ward off the encroaching Chinese until his inevitable exile which is still in place to this day. Martin Scorsese's film, which appears to have been a cathartic change of pace following the out of hand violence of
Casino, is beautifully photographed by Roger Deakins, features an exemplary Philip Glass score, and contains some extraordinary sequences but is hurt by overlength punctuated by too many storytelling lulls.
