Review of Red Cliff (2008) by P. Arabella M — 31 Dec 2009

I watched both parts of the original version, but am putting my review just on this page. It ran about 4 hours 40 minutes, so am I correct in believing for the U.S. theatrical release they cut out almost half? To simplify the story I hear, for there were too many characters that Chinese audiences would already be familiar with, but we didn't know.

Maybe it's just that I watch a lot of these movies but I didn't have such troubles, and it saddens me to imagine the 1000s of people here that have seen far too short a version of what is the best movie of 2009 for me (though I have a few more to watch).

Sure it was long but I never once felt like they used something that should have been cut. It's appropriately epic in scope. It's a crowd-pleaser in the most basic sense. It's not trying to be art.

It's not trying to be too serious. There are a few clues while watching that might tip you off that this is a John Woo film, but it's not a genre I expected him to return to (though I loved his swordplay flick "Last Hurrah for Chivalry").

His fans will hopefully know that it's more than over-dramatized violence that has made his films so memorable. He's worked with some really great stars, as he does here. He loves telling stories of brotherhood, and of bonds that you really buy into, and he does here.

And... ok, he's still the best action director on the planet. It's not the same kind of action you saw in Hard Boiled, but as he elevated that genre's expectations for a good showdown, he does that here for the Chinese swordplay epic.

This is like my Chinese Troy. Sorry if you hated that movie, but I loved it, and Red Cliff is so easily a new favorite movie of mine.