RSSBig budget and thrilling action pay off for ‘Red Cliff'
At first glance, "Red Cliff" looks like an attempt to produce a hit in the same vein as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Both projects were helmed by Asian directors who have achieved success in the U.S., and both feature spectacular action. But "Red Cliff" is on a different level. It is the most expensive Chinese language film ever produced. At nearly five hours in length, it was sliced into two parts for the Asian market. In America, we only get one two and a half hour movie sucked from the entire war epic. This is a shame because it appears the editors sacrificed character development for action. Still, director John Woo's monster is pretty amazing, especially on the big screen.
At first, the story is a bit hard to follow. Not only have two movies been squished into one, but there are a pile of characters to remember. In the year A.D. 208, the Han Dynasty is coming to a close. Prime Minister Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) convinces the fickle emperor that two armies pose a threat to the dynasty and must be stopped. In truth, he wants to take over the entire country himself. He starts by striking down the undersized cavalry of Liu Bei (Yong You). After the defeat, Liu Bei sends Sun Quan (Chen Chang, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") to the Southlands in an attempt to form an alliance with the kingdom's leader, Zhou Yu (Tony Leung, "Lust, Caution"). Zhou Yu agrees, but the combined armies are stilled dwarfed by Cao Cao and his expansive naval fleet.
So the new alliance must rely on clever tactics like reflecting the sun in the enemy's eyes and spraying dust into the front lines of the oncoming brigade. Zhou Yu also uses two secret weapons: his brilliant sister, Sun Shangxiang (Wei Zhao) and his beautiful wife, Xiao Qiao (Chiling Lin).
The plot is loosely based on the historical record "The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms," which includes an account of the Battle of Red Cliffs. In interviews, Woo has stated he and co-writer Khan Chan fabricated about half the storyline. Most notably, they amped up the romance between Xiao Qiao and Zhou Yu.
There is a lot to take in (as the previous few paragraphs would indicate). The best way to watch this movie, though, is to just sit back and enjoy it. The sweeping views of the Chinese countryside are gorgeous and the battles are impressive. The film's most engrossing scenes involve the armies gearing up for war, each trying to outwit the other. Watching the commanders plan their attacks is fascinating. The sophistication of their maneuvers seems to be miles ahead of the ancient European clashes we are used to seeing onscreen.
Stylistically, the film is very East meets West. The quick zooms are a trademark of Asian cinema. Many characters speak in energetic spurts, rather than conversational tones. However, the quieter exchanges are subtle and realistic. For fans of Woo's Western films like "Broken Arrow" and "Face/Off," the violence is brutal and the blood flows generously.
Woo worked with massive landscapes and thousands of extras, but there is plenty of CGI to make the armies look even more daunting. To get the effects he wanted, the director turned to Hollywood and the visual wizards at The Orphanage, whose credits include "Sin City" and "Night at the Museum." Almost everything, excluding a Yangtze River that has the appearance of cellophane, looks great. The aerial shots of charging soldiers are breathtaking. Woo should be proud to have created such a landmark in Asian production values.
As thrilling as the action is, and as gripping as the battle strategies become, it's hard not to feel like you're missing out. The movie opens with English narration that summarizes how a dark shadow has fallen over China, so we lose some of the characters' back stories. Later on, the two sides lay out their plans. The scene cuts back and forth. It's exciting, but comes off like a highlight reel. In a touching break from the action, a soldier fixes a young boy's flute with a knife. The moment is wonderful, and it makes you wonder how many gentle scenes were cut for the American version.
Woo has humanized the history vilified Cao Cao, but the film is ultimately a classic showdown of good vs. evil. It's the kind of movie that's fun to watch no matter the language or how much has been gutted from the original production. No need to worry; a special edition DVD is surely just around the corner.