“Red Cliff” is the most expensive Chinese movie made to date, a two-part film depicting the famous battle at Red Cliff, when the Han Dynasty general from North China, Cao Cao, sails a massive fleet down the Yangtze River to invade the lands of Liu Bei and Sun Quan in the South.
It’s directed by John Woo and features a rockstar cast, including Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Zhao Wei. This is beyond epic, with massive cavalry army stirring up dust clouds and fleets bringing 800 000 soldiers to the Southlands.
I watched it with consumate glee, laughing and cackling at the cartoonish savagery of the battle scenes. This is classic Chinese history they all know these stories by heart and can recognize the characters by sight. For a Westerner like me though it’s the pleasure of discovery, of meeting these famous generals for the first time.
Liu Bei’s army is defeated by Cao Cao and they flee to the South, but he retains some of the fiercest warriors in the country, with near immortal Kung Fu skills. They defeat battalions of men at one time and perform ridiculous acrobatic feats.
In the hands of John Woo, though, it’s glorious, each punch and kick shuddering with the reverberation of magical force.
For the Chinese story is really about how the small armies of Liu Bei and Sun Quan, vastly outnumbered by the armies of Cao Cao, held their own with sneaky tricks and devious strategies.
Part One, I watched earlier this week and here in China, Part Two is out in cinemas. Hopefully, I’ll find a cinema showing the film with English subtitles, so I can see the final, disastrous naval battle.
The film is flawed on so many levels and drifts consciously into camp and slapstick, but again in the hands of John Woo, it’s all cartoon fun. A movie to rouse an audience, bring you to your feet, thundering and applauding at every delicious, sublime moment.
I say: An excellent movie for fans of war and strategy films, like the Chinese equivalent of the battle scenes in “The Lord of the Rings”.
See it for: Tony Leung is one of the best actors around and he’s in fine form as one of the Southern generals, camping at Red Cliff.
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