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Red Cliff (Chi Bi)

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Red Cliff (Chi Bi) Recent Reviews

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Red Cliff (Chi Bi) Recent Reviews
  • 366weirdmovies
    December 30, 2009
    366weirdmovies
    The independent kingdoms of Xu and Wu form an alliance against the invading forces of the Han dynasty, led by the power mad Prime Minster Cao Cao, and their badly outnumbered forces make a stand at the fortress of Red Cliff. With a cast of thousands, the spectacular battles were...( read more) expected, but what was not expected was the minute attention to battle tactics which makes it believable that the side with the better military strategists could defeat the side with the overwhelming advantage in troops.
  • gor41
    December 20, 2009
    gor41
    Woo returns home to direct an epic tale from Chinese history with his characteristic flair for combat - he even manages to get his trademark doves involved ! The battle scenes balance strategy with combat which is refreshing and the close combat is actually edited so you can make...( read more) out what is going on. The between battle machinations drag a little and there is little emotional engagement but it wont dampen your enjoyment much.
  • hypathio7
    December 10, 2009
    hypathio7
    A grand epic piece of entertainment. The editing seems a bit rushed in scenes other than the battle scenes. This may be because of the cutting down of the two part version released in China. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the theme song, A River that has No End...( read more) (?), if eligible, will be nominated for an Oscar. CGI was used to expand the horizon of wide shots and navy boats on the river. There really were massive numbers of live soldiers in the battle scenes though. Unlike Ninja Assassins, which I saw recently with its fighting sequences heavy on the CGI, this historical epic allows you to see the martial art skills of the lead figures in the battles. This is like China's version of War and Peace. Based on the 14th century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the story is set roughly in the 3rd century CE.

    Prime minister Cao Cao (Zhang), who has conquered many warlords of northern China, bullies the young emperor into sending him to defeat two "rebel" armies to the south. Liu Bei (You) leads the smaller force and Sun Quan (Chang) is lord of the southern kingdom. Liu Bei's military strategist/diplomat/reader of signs of nature especially the weather, Zhuge Liang (Kaneshiro) travels to form an alliance between the two armies in preperation for Cao Cao's attack. Kaneshiro is awesome in this wise scholarly role. This is the type of wise adviser role usually played by an old man with a white beard, but he is young and easy on the eyes according to my wife. Sun Quan's viceroy Zhou Yu (Tony Leung) is the other major military strategist, who really appreciates the art of war and the beauty of music. Leung is also excellent in a strong heroic role. Sun Quan's sister wants in on the action too and serves as a spy for awhile. Zhou Yu's wife Xiao Qiao seeks peace and is willing to do what she can to further the success of the Alliance's cause. Other generals and skilled fighters in the Alliance include Zhao Yun, the ex-pirate Gan Xing, and Guan Yu. Some of these men are hard to keep track of in the heat of battle. But the military planning and missions each man takes on does a lot for making the elaborate clashes accessible for the audience. The brief moments of humor, the romance between Zhou Yu and his wife, the carefully planned attacks and counter attacks, the kinetic and disciplined hand to hand combat all add up to a historically epic story worth seeing!
  • her69eyes
    December 1, 2009
    her69eyes
    After spending much time in Hollywood (where he completed such pictures as "Face/Off" and "Mission Impossible II"), director John Woo has returned to Asia with his first feature since the early 1990s. The film, "Red Cliff", claimed the box office championship that "Titanic" forma...( read more)lly held in China. With soaring cameras, bodyparts hurled, and Woo's trademark doves fluttering in close up, "Red Cliff" further elaborates on Woo's enormous skills as a director of action.

    Set near the end of the Han Dynasty in 208 AD, the movie introduces us to the fearsome General Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi), a man deadset on ruling all territories. His first battle is with southern defectors, led by Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen). An alliance is soon formed with Zhou Yu (Tony Leung) after a visit by southern strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), as the two bond with a good-old fashioned third century jam session.

    The climactic battle is of a monumental scale - fire is thrown, fortresses are demolished, and hundreds (maybe thousands) of extras are multiplied to hundreds of thousands with digital effects. As impressive as this war is, however, perhaps Woo was too invested in this filmmaking challenge. The first battle of the film is a glorious one - innovative swordplay, impressive battle formations - whereas the last is a familiar spectacle of dark hellfire. Oddly enough, only in the final conflict did I begin to feel the two and a half hour runtime (condensed from a five hour cut released in two-parts elsewhere).

    I have not seen the original cut of the film, but this American cut certainly peaks my curiosity to see how much further the characters are developed in the Asian cut. The performers, particularly Tong Leung and Zhang Fengyi, are all excellent. Despite their efforts, however, many of the faces are blurred by the film's frenetic, rushed pace.

    The film is largely wall-to-wall war, but beyond the spectacle of the battlefield the film takes pleasure in showcasing the era's militaristic strategies. In one of the film's most successful episodes, Cao Cao's army sends dead bodies to their opposition in a cruel form of chemical warfare.

    "Red Cliff" is big, loud, and a lot of fun. The last battle perhaps hogs too big of a portion of the American cut of the film, but nevertheless Woo has undoubtedly made an epic on a scale that we don't often see.
  • DrZeek
    November 27, 2009
    DrZeek
    Liu Bei: Truth and illusion are often disguised as each other, Cao Cao likes to play this game, both with friends and foes.

    Action master John Woo returns to his native China to direct an action epic capturing one of China's most famous historical war stories. The film is an a...( read more)mazing accomplishment in terms of how its action is captured in the way that Woo is known for as a filmmaker. All of the elements of his signature style are present here, and combining that with a good cast headlined by Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro, the film is a well made historical action epic.

    In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale, led by the Prime Minister, himself. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance. The ruler of Wu, Sun Quan, calls on the rival warlord Liu Bei for help, but their two armies are still badly outnumbered. Numerous battles of strength and wit ensued, both on land and on water, eventually culminating in the battle of Red Cliff. During the battle, two thousand ships were burned, and the course of Chinese history was changed forever.

    Now, in China this film was actually two movies, with a total running time of five hours. For the American release, the film has been streamlined into one film and down to two and a half hours, complete with narration to help ease audiences into the story much better known to the Chinese. To this, I have to give credit to the studio, as this movie flows very well, with a much leaner presentation of the story, with enough dramatic arc to make it very compelling, while still leaving in all the awesome action that John Woo is very adept at handling.

    With all of the different characters interwoven into this story, I was taking my time in really getting into the film above an action standpoint, but once I did, this movie really took off. There are a lot of good actors present here, and many of them leave memorable impressions to keep you very interested in where this story will go.

    Of course, the main draw is to see John Woo go all "John Woo" on the action scenes, and he freaking delivers. Use of slow motion, explosions, well handled sense of scale, appropriate mix of effects, dual wielded weapons, Mexican standoffs, awesome stylized, often balletic sequences of action; all of things are present, and yes Woo even fits in some doves for good measure. There is action all over this movie, with two main sequences, which includes the fantastically epic climatic battle that lasts a good half hour and took over a year to get prepared for during production.

    The movie also manages to bring Woo's sense of melodrama concerning a couple characters, as well as his sense for overly-beautiful cinematography to keep the tone straight for his type of films. Its certainly another staple of Woo, but here he is doing it on a much more epic scale, which was necessary for getting one of China's most famous stories done right.

    A very well handled movie that delivers handsomely on its epic action.

    Cao Cao: This rag tag group of warriors mustn't be underestimated.
  • kingmob6
    December 29, 2009
    kingmob6
    John Woo knocks it out of the park with this sweeping historical epic. Sorry to go the lazy route and just throw that out to coin a phrase, but it's pretty much the only way to describe a film of this scope.

    The visuals are gorgeous and Woo gives everyone their turn in the spot...( read more)light, each character has their own moment, no lead actor is left playing second fiddle to anyone else.

    Well worth a look.

    Recommended.
  • mistershinobi
    December 27, 2009
    mistershinobi
    An epic war film starring Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro?!

    Count me in!
  • gaerniak
    December 26, 2009
    gaerniak
    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 o...( read more)f 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.
  • banzaibrother
    December 23, 2009
    banzaibrother
    Red Cliff is amazing! A beautiful, well-produced film with visuals that will take your breath away. This should be nominated for Best Foreign Language film. Legendary director John Woo takes a break from his Hong Kong cop films and American blockbusters to display a period piece ...( read more)set in 3rd Century China. If you love battlefield strategy...you will love this film. I really enjoyed seeing both sides trying to out do each other with creative battlefield formations, sneak attacks, and diversionary tactics. One side even uses weather patterns. I rarely use the word "epic"...but I will do so here. A can't miss film of 2009.
  • 76Majikat
    December 22, 2009
    76Majikat
    Rec by Scott & Lorenzo, Byron
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