Red Cliff

Red Cliff

Starring: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, Chen Chang Wei Zhao

Directed by: John Woo

Reviewed by: Conor Flynn







Red Cliff signifies a number of returns for director John Woo. This film not only sees the director revisiting his homeland; his first Chinese film since 1992’s jaw-dropping ‘Hard Boiled’, but allegedly illustrates a return to form for a director whose American output gradually made him look like a spent force. Red Cliff also re-teams actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai with Woo. Almost as if to commend this significant return, Woo has been awarded the single biggest budget ever afforded to a Chinese film (well, for this year anyway), but does it live up to the hype?

Based in China, during the early third century, the story tells of Prime Minster Cao Cao’s (Zhang) ruthless assault on the kingdoms to the east, west and south with an invading army of over a million soldiers. Standing in his way is Sun Quan (Chang) and his strategist Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). They form an uneasy alliance with Liu Bei in an effort to repel the oncoming army which culminates in the battle of Red Cliffs…

Unlike the vast majority of Chinese historical epics of late, Red Cliff is restrained in its approach, which is very surprising considering the director involved. That’s not to say it isn’t highly stylised, it very much is, but the film never feels like it’s bordering on self-indulgence. Visually the film is stunning, every frame rich in detail and epic in scale. Sure, this is another feature in an over plundered genre, yet the battle sequences remain thrilling and somehow manage to offer something truly distinct. To add to the overall sensory appeal of the film is a larger-than-life soundtrack by Tarô Iwashiro. All the above said; there is one serious problem with the film…

You can’t help feeling that there are large chunks of exposition missing from the film and you’d be correct. The original cut of the film lasted over five bum numbing hours. Outside of China, the film has been truncated to a leaner, if somewhat more confusing two and a half hour cut. The characterisation takes a backseat, and as a result, the first twenty or so minutes are difficult to follow with over ten characters to concentrate on in the middle of loud and visually overwhelming battle sequence. Unless you are very familiar with Chinese history, you’ll have trouble following the story early on, though eventually things fall into place. What the film lacks in substance, it more than makes up through creative style, which is ramped up to the nth degree.

Red Cliff is a visually stunning film which re-confirms John Woo as one of the best action directors out there. If you can manage to forego characterisation in favour of visual deftness, even in its expurgated cut, Red Cliff is simply mesmerising stuff.