2008-2009 | R | 2h 28m | Action, Adventure, Drama
John Woo is a name that is synonymous with excitement, danger and, of course, pulse-pounding action. Woo cut his teeth on many ‘80s and early ’90s Hong Kong action classics such as “The Killer,” “Bullet in the Head,” and “Hard Boiled,” the latter widely considered his opus during that period and one of the greatest action films ever produced.
However, when Woo set off for Hollywood (after filming “Hard Boiled”) in the hopes of making bigger waves on the international stage, he soon realized that all that glitters is not gold. In the United States, Woo’s formidable filmmaking talents were largely misunderstood and misused. Frustrated, he returned to Hong Kong to direct 2008’s “Red Cliff,” a historical epic battle during China’s Three Kingdoms period (A.D. 220–280).
The film opens in A.D. 208 as ruthless warlord Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) has seized control over much of Northern China. Although Cao Cao pays tribute to Emperor Han (Ning Wang), it’s an open secret that he is the one calling the shots.
As with many Woo films, things kick off pretty quickly, with Cao Cao strongly “persuading” the emperor to let him lead the Han imperial army to put down any opposition to his rule. Cao Cao has labeled his two strongest rivals—Sun Quan (Chang Chen) who controls the south, and Liu Bei (Yong You) who rules over the west—as “rebels” to legitimize his power grab.
Without wasting any time, Cao Cao attacks Liu Bei first and the latter is forced to hastily withdraw from their battle. Liu Bei barely escapes with his life, and he has to leave his family behind. In a dramatic fight scene, Zhao Yun (Jun Hu), one of Liu Bei’s bravest and most capable warriors, manages to rescue Liu Bei’s last remaining relative, an infant son, from Cao Cao’s forces.
After resettling, Liu Bei quickly sends his trusted advisor Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) to meet with Sun Quan further to the south. Liu Bei knows that he and Sun Quan are no match for the might of Cao Cao’s imperial forces, but together they may stand a chance.
Zhuge Liang’s exemplary diplomatic skills seem to hit a roadblock with Sun Quan since the southern ruler enjoys the relative tranquility of his beautiful realm, and is understandably hesitant to commit to a war with Cao Cao. However, when Zhuge Liang eventually meets Zhou Yu (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), a peaceful warrior whom Sun Quan considers his older brother, he finds that he may have stumbled upon a potential key to victory.
As someone who loves Woo’s bullet-drenched Hong Kong action films, I found watching the legendary director’s take on China’s Three Kingdoms period as a big departure from what I’m used to. However, from the beginning scenes, I quickly became hooked, primarily because of the intriguing narrative about kind and just men being threatened by an overwhelming, oppressive force (Cao Cao), and not bowing to it.
As with many of Woo’s characters, the good guys that Cao Cao is trying to stamp out are men of peace that are actually no floormats when pushed too far. Also, many of the battle scenes that take place contain just as much strategy as they do physical combat. Since the forces of good are heavily outmatched, they have to rely on guile, tactics, and intelligence to outwit and outmaneuver their numerically superior adversary. It’s almost like getting abbreviated lessons in Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War.”
The entire cast is fantastic from top to bottom, with Tony Leung Chiu-wai convincing as a graceful and humble warrior who matches well with Takeshi Kaneshiro as his more forceful brother-in-arms. The majestic score swells and ebbs at just the right moments, perfectly complementing the incredible cinematography. The sense of scale on display is staggering, with hundreds of ships at sea or thousands of men fighting it out, all in a convincing fashion.
“Red Cliff” is more than a riveting tale of good guys versus bad guys. It sheds light on an intriguing (and important) period of Chinese history and is relatively easier to follow than some of the other epics I’ve watched.
It also carries positive messages about not giving in to evil and standing up for what’s right, no matter how dominant the negative forces may seem. And that’s a powerful message in these turbulent times.
The original release of the film was in 2 parts and almost 5 hours long; The abridged version of 2 hours 28 minutes is watchable in one sitting.
