A Danish American bit-player rolls the dice as star and co-writer of a big-screen Medieval combat period piece in “Rise of the Conqueror,” a good looking but strained bit of mid-Mongol Empire history shot where all of this really happened — Uzbekistan.

If you don’t know the story of Timur, or as he’s known in the West Tamerlane, you might need to brush up a bit before tackling the new epic about his “rise.” It’s about a Turco-Mongol leader’s climb to power in the Silk Road era of Mongol conquests and intrigues in the Samarkand, Uzbekistan of the mid to late 14th century, around 150 years after the death of Genghis Khan.

Those depicted include the Muslim Timur (Christian Mortensen) of the Barlas Tribe, his fiery archer-wife Aljai (Yulduz Rajabova), her brother/his brother-in-law Hussayn (Mahesh Jadu) and Ilias Khan (Joshua Jo), who takes over as overlord of this corner of the Mongol Empire during Timur’s life.

Actually, there are scads more featured players — all of them little-known — and the relationships and agendas of each character they play are very hard to keep straight in this film.

Timur is a well-born tribesman placed high in ruling circles of Samarkand, married to the sister of the figurehead royal family and thus subservient to her brother Hussayn when the inevitable assassinations begin again.

Timur’s refusal to join a rebellious uncle is rewarded by positions of power and responsibility by the aged regional khan (Maruf Otajonov). The Mongols don’t appreciate that as much as he’d hoped. And his loyalty to “a lesser man” (Hussayn) as possible leader of a break-away state is questioned by all who know him.

With the Mongol leadership’s knees on everybody’s necks, Timur’s chief leadership skill might be staying alive.

The film places us in the feast hall when the Mongols of heir Ilias try to wipe out any challengers to their divine right to rule via “mad honey” poison, their infamous compound bows and blades.

Timur is nothing is not a survivor. He escapes Samarkand, wounded, an injury which will give him the nickname “Timur the Lame” (Tamerlane). But he’s nursed back to health by the “Zoroastrian witch” Baku (Arazu) and her followers, who include a wandering Scot (Paul Marlon), a refugee from the Scottish Wars of Indepence.

Timur thinks everyone he knew and loved is dead. But when he learns otherwise, he rejoins Aljai and her increasingly megalomaniacal brother’s rebellion to seize Samarkand from the Mongols. And that’s when Hussayn’s true colors show and Timur’s lust for revenge on those who wrong him comes to the fore.

Maybe this Chinese superweapon, “black powder,” will help.

Director Jacob Schwarz — he’s got “The Chosen” Christmas special credits — gets his money’s worth out of the location shooting — breathtaking steppes vistas, ancient cities and fortresses made less of a “ruin” by CGI, battles on horseback and Medieval combat at its most bloody.

Tall, dark and handsome Mortensen’s got the fight choreography moves and brooding screen presence to play the title role, even if his casting seems ethnically off, especially when we meet everyone else in this Mongolo-Turkic world. Jadu, Rajabova, Jo and a sea of supporting players are better suited in capturing a version of this place and time and the people who lived through it.

And then there’s the muddle of a script, straining to get us from point A to point B, but forever getting lost in details both real and fictionalized for the film.

I watch movies for a living, reviewed the true epic “Mongol” back in 2008 (stream it), and have an interest in this era that’s drawn me to a Metropolitan Museum exhibit of Mongol Art (they weren’t really “creators,” just pillagers) and any documentary on the region and its history that’s come along. And I found this “hero’s journey” a bit of a drag to try and follow.

Characters mention “The Silk Road,” but watching a pretty good recent documentary series on that isn’t a lot of help in homework terms. Nor is knowing Poe’s poem “Tamerlane”

Given the murky narrative, what we’re left with is a well-shot, cut and fought steppes epic that consistently falls short of showing us or telling us much that explains Timur’s rise and what made him special enough to become The Last of the Steppes Conquerors.

The “legend” is here, but his “Rise” is rendered as quite dull muddle between the battles.

Rating: TV-14, violence

Cast: Christian Mortensen, Mahesh Jadu, Yulduz Rajabova, Joshua Jo, Dulguun Udkuu, Paul Marlon, Sanjar Madi, and Arazu

Credits: Directed by Jacob Schwarz, scripted by Matthew Greene, Christian Mortensen and Jacob Schwarz. A Well Go USA release now streaming on Tubi, Robu, Plex, Youtube and Amazon

Running time: 1:58