JBMoney 's Blog @ Bressler.org

Movie: Red Cliff (Asian Release)

There are two versions of Red Cliff available, one is the original Asian release which is quite long, and a Western Release which is roughly half as long. The Western Release includes some opening narration to 'set the stage' for Westerners unfamiliar with Chinese history. I watched the Asian release (2 DVDs).

I've read the lengthy Romance of the Three Kingdoms (one of the four classics of Chinese Literature) and looked forward to seeing this version of the decisive battle that initiated the Three Kingdoms era. The main characters of the Three Kingdoms are household names in China and the stories of that time have been told in Chinese television series, soap operas, movies, video games, etc.

At this point in history (about 208 AD), Cao Cao had become Prime Minister of the declining Han Empire and acted as Emperor in all but name (his family would eventually become the Wei Dynasty). He decides on a massive effort to bring two 'rebel' kingdoms to heel, sending a massive force to face off against the enemy dug in across the Yangtze River. Historians disagree on the size of Cao Cao's force but settle somewhere between 200,000 and 800,000 men. The recently united forces of Liu Bei (starts Shu Kingdom) and Sun Quan (starts Wu Kingdom) were vastly outnumbered in men and ships but possessed considerable naval expertise, better trained soldiers, and the genius of Zhuge Liang (greatest strategist of the era).

All the heavies were in the movie, including General Guan Yu (later deified), General Zhang Fei, Sun Quan, Zhou Yu (prime minister of Wu), Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan, Zhuge Liang. Most of the gang is relegated to minor status though. The primary focus is on the action (it is a John Woo movie after all) and the interplay between Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Zhou Yu (Tony Leung).

Although there is clearly some CGI at work, the scenes throughout the movie are epic and beautiful. Hundreds of ships and the dramatic topography of the Yangtze River will fill the viewer with awe. Woo brings large-scale battles to life like few other can. The story itself is well adapted, but do not expect it to track exactly with Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Extra bits have been thrown in to make meaty roles for the female leads and Zhou Yu is playing a much more expanded role from what I remember. This is a bonus though as Tony Leung plays the role so well. It was also great fun to see Zhuge Liang at work, even if it was just a movie. There's a decent bit of humor interspersed throughout, mainly through the shenanigans of Zhang Fei and Sun Quan's little sister.

To quote critic Roger Moore, "It is poetry in martial motion, a vivid recreation of a place and time and a battle that shaped Chinese history for generations to come. Flaws and all, you can’t watch a frame of it without feeling that it has been generations since Hollywood tackled anything on this scale."