Review of The Red Cliff (1949) by Rox T — 26 Dec 2009

John Woo's exhilarating war epic plays like a tale one hears from generation to generation as told by a wise old sage. The incredible set pieces on the field of battle are positioned like a conundrum on a chess board commanded by two genius players. The film plays like a legend of yore despite the fact that it's less stylized than other Chinese wuxia films like Crouching Tiger, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers, yet it's still just as beautifully rendered and just as poetically told. I have to admit that the steadfast narrative headed by Woo's exorbitant, ambitious, yet cautious direction is quite impressive. He constructs the tale in the form of a fable except it's actually historically accurate, while demonstrating the Discovery and History Channels how they must present their history lessons without having anyone fall asleep, and actually jump from the thrills and even analyze the historical facts with excitement.

The visual presentation is absolutely flawless. I took note of the impressive art direction and the shots of ancient China are beautifully captured in the film's cinematographic splendor.

Don't label this as typical wuxia fare because you'll be doing yourself the disservice of skipping Woo's most exciting and greatest adventure yet. It reminded me of another movie I saw this year called Sword of the Stranger, since it was just as impressive and as exciting.