Review of The Red Cliff (1949) by Christopher L — 28 Nov 2009

The greatest action director of all time is back, and while I would have loved his return to Hong Kong to be a modern gangster movie, this is more than satisfactory. I was aware of of the fact that this was basically half a movie, and I could tell while watching, but the shortened version worked better than I could have possibly hoped.

The lack of character moments was more than made up for by the sheer spectacle of everything. It was worth seeing the shortened version if only to see it on the big screen. It is beautiful. The action is beautiful, not to mention exciting.

I just loved watching a new John Woo movie, which actually felt like a John Woo movie. This film contains doves, slow motion, a Mexican standoff, and even a scene with one man fighting off many men while also holding onto and protecting a baby.

Woo does a great job of finding individual struggles in the midst of a chaotic battle, and when one person kills another with a spear, it is shot and edited with the same artistry that Woo shot the gunplay in his early work.

I can't wait to see the full version, and I am sure it is better, but even in this cut down form, the movie is one of the best I've seen this year, and I look forward to seeing it again.