Chi Bi (Red Cliff) poster & wallpaper

Chen Chang, Chiling Lin, Fengyi Zhang

Legendary action cinema master John Woo and international superstar Tony Leung reunite for the first time since the 1992 classic HARD BOILED with this epic historical drama set based on a legendary 20...( read more  read more... )8 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. RED CLIFF opens with power hungry Prime Minister-turned-General Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) seeking permission from the Han dynasty Emperor to organize a southward-bound mission designed to crush two troublesome warlords that stand in his way, Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen). As the expedition gets under way, Cao Cao's troops rain destruction on Liu Bei's army, forcing the latter to retreat. Liu Bei's military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) knows that their only hope for survival is to form an alliance with rival warlord Sun Quan, and reaches out to Sun Quan’s trusted advisor, war hero Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). Vastly outnumbered by Cao Cao’s fast approaching, brutal army, the rebel warlords band together to mount a heroic campaign unrivalled in history that changes the face of China forever. A massive hit in Asia and the most expensive Asian film production of all time, RED CLIFF is a breathtaking war epic that marks the triumphant return of John Woo.

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74% liked it

4,930 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

38 critics

R, 2 hrs. 11 min.

Directed by: John Woo

Release Date: June 30, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (1,801)

  • jsd35
    June 29, 2009
    jsd35
    This review is referring to the version of the movie released in the west (a compressed amalgamation of Red Cliff I & II).

    Ostensibly this is an adaptation of one section of the enormously famous (and generally enormous) historical opus The Romance of the Three ...( read more)Kindgoms. If you claim to be from Asia and don't know this novel, then you aren't from Asia. It's that famous. Written during the Ming dynasty it recreates a turbulent period of Chinese history at the end of the Han dynasty in the 3rd century. The impact of the novel is felt today, since a number of common idioms in the Chinese language are taken from this book.

    So, in other words, this is a film that many people in Asia may enter with preconceived ideas and high expectations.

    And if you want to make a Chinese film that any chance of acheiving them, you'd better cast Tony Leung. Which they did. Along with the same-old actors you find in all these films: Zhao Wei, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Chan Cheng. They're all here. All in glorious dub-o-vision.

    Er... why? Tony, for one, is quite capable of speaking Mandarin. Why is he dubbed?

    Anyway. does it work as a whole?

    Meh.

    It's okay.

    There are a number of minor irritations: the focus puller doesn't always keep his position as tightly as he might, the CG is at times way too distracting, there is one singularly terrible cut in the print I saw, and, as one-of my friends who was being overly pedantic pointed out, the music is not authentic (the flute in the film is not Chinese, for example).

    More problematic is that the cinematography is too self-consciously derivative of certain Hollywood blockbusters. And the star-actors detract from the story (particularly Takeshi Kaneshiro, who looks altogether too smug here). China is not a country short of potential actors (well, okay, this is largely shot with people from Hong Kong, who are a tad more limited). Why don't they test some new talent?

    This all sounds a little negative, and, in a film like this, I think a little too pedantic. I should add the film didn't bore me either. It's a reasonably decent production that has inspired me to go back to the source material again. It serves as a great introduction to an episode in Chinese history (albeit in a novelised form, and most Westerners will be unfamiliar with its context). I am keen to see the longer cut of it, and I'll reserve judgement on the final film 'til then.

    I just hope it doesn't have the growling English narration the Western release opens with.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    December 20, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Well, i like it, this is a movie that actually deserves the "epic" label in the best sense possible. It has the right balance between wire-fights and brawling fights, between wide battle scenes and intimate moments with the characters. It never feels too long or that is wasting t...( read more)ime in pointless exposition. I'm not a nerd of the novels, so thankfully i don't have to occupy my mind comparing each character with each actor and thinking "OMG, this guy is not like the character in the book!" and so on.

    The cast is great on all fronts, Kaneshiro shows that he has acting skills and not just pretty looks. Tony Leung is Tony Leung and Fengyi Zhang is spot on as Cao Cao. Woo delivers action but actually cares about the characters. You could say that he has enough material to help him in that matter, but this could have failed hard and in so many different ways.

    Certainly surpassed my (low) expectations. After more than a decade of crap Woo can finally add another solid flick to his credits. Looking foward to the second part.
  • habitualdamnation
    July 21, 2008
    habitualdamnation
    Wasted. Too much money, too many people to please.
  • threefolddado
    September 9, 2009
    threefolddado
    A powerful piece for John Woo's triumphant return to Asian cinema. Fantastically choreographed battle scenes complement an intriguing peace of Chinese history. One again the characters stand out especially Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung and Wei Zhao. A spectacle not to be missed!
  • MagnusMagica
    July 30, 2009
    MagnusMagica
    "The weather has cast decision before. Whoever can interpret the weather is victorious."
    A good epic movie with some great battle and martial art scenes.
    Great cast with among others Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Wei Zhao, Chiling Lin, Chen Chang, Fengyi Zhang and Tekeshi Kaneshiro.
  • SpunkyJamez
    November 5, 2009
    SpunkyJamez
    I'm giving four and a half to the original version of this (Red Cliff I). In asia, Red Cliff was released in two parts, 6 months apart - with a total running time of 4 1/2 hours. An international version was released in west - and they pretty much cut it down to 2 1/2 hours, they...( read more)'ve combined the two films into one and shortened it. I saw the original (better) version before the international - and the international just sucks balls!

    Review of Original Film:
    John Woo brings to us a brilliant work of art - the first part of Red Cliff. the plot is very interesting and it does have a lot of depth. The asian cast is lovely. There are actors from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Mongolia - all creating wonderful characters, most notably Takeshi Kaneshiro's Zhuge Liang. The battle scenes are all staged so well, and they're visually stunning. That's another thing to love about this - it looks terrific, it's just such a visually impressive movie. I loved the sets, props and costumes - all very beautiful. 4 1/2 stars to the orignal Red Cliff I.

    Review of International Version:
    I can just tell you that this is crap! Sure, we have the same stuff from the original but they've cut out so much of it. All the substance has been taken away from the original such as character development. It just ruins it. This is just like saying that you'll show a shorter version of the Harry Potter series or Lord of the Rings. It's so bad - and you can tell that there's something of rascism here - why do this to a chinese movie? This only has one good part - and that is the battles. They're still good, but they've been edited up so it would be much more better to see the original battle scenes. I'm only giving this 1/2 a star because I'm a big fan of the 2 original films, and to see this combined, shorter version of both is insulting to me and "I'm offended by that". Just watch the 2 complete films and i assure you will have a better time with them that with this punk ass version!

    Check out my review for Red Cliff II. :)
  • tpb0
    October 27, 2009
    tpb0
    Wonderful - great acting and superb footage.
  • Jordan770
    October 18, 2009
    Jordan770
    Was alright. I could see it again.
  • jimmandele
    October 16, 2009
    jimmandele
    i like it..no questions ask
  • Nawya
    October 15, 2009
    Nawya
    Ovo je povijesni spektakl, ali mudri povijesni spektakl ,) Zanimljiva su mi sva ta nadmetanja .. ;)

View All Chi Bi (Red Cliff) Reviews

Critic Reviews

June 12, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

Red Cliff gets everything right - sensationally right - except this one vital pulse of engagement. full review

View more Chi Bi (Red Cliff) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • AnthonyPo
    May 6, 2009
    AnthonyPo
    This is a very good movie. This is the story of one of the greatest military strategies ever formulated. The waterloo of CaoCao.
  • tahnavalyahut
    April 6, 2009
    tahnavalyahut
    the film is the best strategy have ever I seen..
    wooww that's great..
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