Review of Red Cliff (2008) by Jess K — 26 Sep 2010
This review is for the first part of the Asian release. Red Cliff is a definite epic, with all the action and self-indulgence intrinsic to the genre. The massive battle sequences are impressive, fights are well-gimmicked to be memorable, and the scenery is beautiful.
Notably, camera movement keeps dialogue scenes dynamic. It's little wonder the two films were trimmed to one for Western release as Red Cliff (I) uses three scenes as unambiguous allegory (music, tiger hunt, soccer) and then explains the allegory because the audience must consist of idiots.
As well, while the machinations of war strategy are fascinating, it's not believable that two thousand soldiers would charged into an obvious trap, or that four individual officers could level an army (Woo must have played a lot of Dynasty Warriors).
The first part ends with a rushed and blatant cliffhanger, but it does manage to intrigue enough into the second.
This review of Red Cliff (2008) was written by Jess K on 26 Sep 2010.
Red Cliff has generally received positive reviews.
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