Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Yet another historical drama, over blown, over acted and over long – but it’s still easily the best thing John Woo has done in a long time…!
Heralded for a several years as John Woo’s return to Chinese filmmaking since Hard Boiled, this troubled production took years to make it to the big screen, cost an estimated US$80 million (which would make it the most expensive Asian-financed film to date), included roughly 1000 members of the Chinese Army as extras, had one unfortunate accidental death of a stuntman, had a film based on the same source material (Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon) to contend with and several blips in casting to overcome.
These were namely that it was to reunite Chow Yun-fat and Woo for the first time since both had entered the Hollywood mainstream after Hard Boiled. Sadly that didn’t happen, and Tony Leung Chiu-wai (who also starred in Hard Boiled!) first pulled out due to health reasons, only to come back two days later recast in the role originally intended for Chow.
Such a torturous production puts even greater expectation on the film to deliver, and after a long, sluggish start, that’s exactly what Woo manages…
Set in the last year of the Han Dynasty, Prime Minister Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi, The Emperor and the Assassin, Police Confidential) exploits the naivety of his monarch to start a war with leading kingdoms of the South mainly to further his power and influence in the Royal Court.
When Liu Bei’s (You Yong, Triangle, Election) forces fall against Cao, his chief advisor and strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro, Confession of Pain, House of Flying Daggers, The Warlords) attempts to woo Sun Quan (Chen Chang, Missing, Three Times, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and the land of Wu into joining forces with Lui, before Cao forces their hands anyway. Sun unconvinced, Zhuge tries to persuade his mentor and army commander Zhou Yu (Tony Leung, Lust, Caution, in the Mood For Love, Infernal Affairs), based at Red Cliff, instead.
With Yu on board Zhuge returns to Quan’s scourt to unite forces, only to find Cao’s forces already underway, on both land and sea. With Quan’s sister Sun Shangxiang (Zhao Wei, So Close, Shaolin Soccer, Painted Skin) keen to put her arching skills towards the cause, the allies’ ranks take shape – but will they be enough to overcome Cao’s forces?
After an overlong and literally shaky start, all old-school Zhang Che style close ups with a stilted script and wooden leads – the film seems almost a homage to the historical dramas of Zhang Che like The Water Margin and The Blood Brothers, where John Woo learnt his trade as an assistant director – the film eventually becomes more engaging characters emerge. Leung is customary solid, Takeshi character begins to warm with more to play against, and Zhao Wei her usual feisty, sexy best (though somewhat miscast as she’s far too modern a personality for a period piece).
For true Woo fans, there are plenty of familiar themes transposed to less familiar territory, people sliding backwards in fights, a sword in each hand, doves – one of the warriors even saves a baby while still in combat (as last seen Hard Boiled). In fact you could easily describe it as historic Heroic Bloodshed! (With the mass, almost Python-esque bloodletting reminiscent of Zhang Che at his ‘yang gang’ best.) The rest will be entertained by his fantastically staged battle sequences, skilfully aided by action choreographer Corey Yuen and no doubt just the sheer scale of them, with thousands of extras.
In fact, just as all starts going superbly well, adeptly building up to the Battle of Red Cliff itself, you suddenly become aware of the running time and a ‘To be continued…’ runs across the screen. With the sequel (or rather continuation) Red Cliff: Part II just released in Asia, you wonder just how much patience we’re meant to have for these multi-parters (Death Note and 20th Century Boys spring most readily to mind).
And there’s the rub, there’s simply not enough story to pad out two parts! This isn’t Lord Of The Rings, it’s not even Harry Potter! There’s something inherently wrong with a film or sequel that can’t be enjoyed, at least partly, in it’s own right without seeing what came before or after.
And for once perhaps the West will get a better deal, with Woo allegedly to condense the two parts into one 2.5 hour movie (losing over 2 hours in the process?) A closer rein on content, with Woo (hopefully) editing the right parts could produce a far tighter, even more enjoyable film.
Despite my misgivings about yet another historical drama, even in its extended form Red Cliff is easily a cut above (most) of the rest. Welcome back, Mr Woo!
Red Cliff: Part II is currently on release in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Total Film list Red Cliff’s UK theatrical release as 10 July 2010, IMDB as 23 January 2009(!)
UPDATE: As you’ll probably already know, the UK release – an edited version of both parts – is due on 12 June 2009.
DVD details
Distributor: Mei Ah (HK)
Good master of the film as you'd expect, with a second disc of bonus features including trailers, interviews and footage from the premiere and press conference.
An okay but not outstanding package, you might be better off looking out for the Chinese 3-disc set.
