aka: The Battle of Red Cliff
China 2008, 148 / 274 minutes
Dir. John Woo
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Rating: [M]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Action/Adventure / Martial Arts, Epic
Feat. Tony Leung (Chiu-wai), Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, Chen Chang, Vicki Zhao, Shido Nakamura, Jun Hu
Aroview: A gargantuan Han Dynasty epic from Hong Kong's action movie grandmaster, John Woo, in which two kingdoms must form an unlikely alliance to stave off a warmongering general and his enormous army.
Leaving much of the pageantry and costume dramatics that filled out the original, two-part Asian release, the ‘International’ version cuts to the chase as a lean, mean historical spectacle, with its focus narrowing on the battle of wits between the power-hungry Prime Minister Cao Cao, and the kingdom’s rebel leaders (whose allied armies are commanded by Chinese stars Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro). Through all of the mass warfare, dir. Woo’s stylistic trademarks are never overwhelmed, and he turns in some of the best and most exhilarating combat sequences seen on this scale. If no more than an over-sized action movie, a great one at that.
Both the condensed 'International' cut and full-length Asian version are available.
Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-4 of 4 member reviews.
4 stars (Very Good) ~normfilmbuff
4 stars (Very Good) Impressive martial arts epic, with huge battles to behold, this is the 1-part edition of the Battle of Red Cliff. Possibly even better for being cut down, this leaves much of the drama to one side, focussing on the epic battle. ~Tom H
4 stars (Very Good) ~trauma_hound412
2 stars (Good Try) Although there is some excitement to the extent that some of the characters lose their heads the slow motion cinematography soothes things down again. Excellent work by the special effects team. Part II is a chance to see the things you missed in Part I. ~Tubbs
©2024 AroVideo | Using the Catalogue | Feedback Opens in a new window | Terms of use Opens in a new window | Privacy Policy Opens in a new window | AroVideo on Twitter AroVideo on Facebook