John Woo's Red Cliff

John Woo returns to Asian Cinema at the blistering top of his talented game, presenting us with an epic story spread across two stunning movies.

Based on events which took place at the onset of the fall of the Han Dynasty, and immediately prior to the period of the Three Kingdoms in ancient China. The film/s are a visceral, visual feast of old-school epic adventure, which own as much to the works of Ang Lee and Akira Kurosawa, as it does to Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus" or Peter Jackson's "Rings" trilogy - Red Cliff's direct stylistic counterparts.

Imagine cult 70's martial arts television series "The Water Margin", with a mammoth budget, thousands of extras, extensive use of CGI and pumped up to the maximum on steroids: and you'll have a fair idea of the the feel of Red Cliff.

Final tip: The films have been released to cinemas here cut-down and combined into a single, condensed version of the original. If you can get your hands on the full four-hour plus, two movie version - I recommend grabbing it with both hands and rushing to your DVD player.

By turns spectacular, thoughtful and chocked to the absolute limit with some truly breath-taking action - Red Cliff is not onyl one of my films of the year. But also of the decade.

Now that was a very well done review, Sid. You've certainly piqued my interest in seeing Red Cliffs.

Patrick wrote:Now that was a very well done review, Sid. You've certainly piqued my interest in seeing Red Cliffs.

That's great to hear, old chap. I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed if and when you do finally get to see it/them.

Sid Seadevil wrote:Final tip: The films have been released to cinemas here cut-down and combined into a single, condensed version of the original. If you can get your hands on the full four-hour plus, two movie version - I recommend grabbing it with both hands and rushing to your DVD player.

That was the version I saw. Definitely recommended.

Zoltar wrote:That was the version I saw. Definitely recommended.

Ah ha! I might have known if anybody had here had also seen these already - t'would be you, old chum.
Superb, isn't it/they.

Sid Seadevil wrote:Ah ha! I might have known if anybody had here had also seen these already - t'would be you, old chum.
Superb, isn't it/they.

Definitely. I found them via "other means" and hope to acquire them on DVD when a nice set comes out in the US.

Zoltar wrote:Definitely. I found them via "other means" and hope to acquire them on DVD when a nice set comes out in the US.

Same here. But, like you, I'll more than happily stump-up the cash for them when the set is released.

Great film

Acting good

action good

5/5

big army

Hmmmmmmm...I suspect all of that could have been said in a single post.