.gif)
John Woo's period epic - the most expensive Chinese-language film ever made - set in 208 AD and based...
John Woo's period epic - the most expensive Chinese-language film ever made - set in 208 AD and based on the legendary Battle of Red Cliff in which a force of fifty thousand defeated an army of nearly one million.
In 208 AD China, during the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minister Cao Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance. Numerous battles of strength and wit ensued, both on land and on water, eventually culminating in the battle of Red Cliff. During the battle, two thousand ships were burned, and the course of Chinese history was changed forever.
Less
90 %116 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
78 %22,635 reviewsAudience score rating
"Balances character, grit, spectacle and visceral action in a meaty, dramatically satisfying pie that delivers on the hype and will surprise many who felt the Hong Kong helmer progressively lost his mojo during his long years stateside..."
—
Variety
Variety"Woo aimed for “an Asian Troy”, but any similarities to Wolfgang Petersen’s schlockbuster are purely coincidental – this is a sweeping, stirring breath-snatcher that finds the director on his finest form since Face/Off. Even half-cut, it’s a whole lot of epic."
—
Total Film
Total Film"To anyone who has never seen an epic Chinese screen production outside last year's Olympic Games ceremony, this might be a good place to start. It has spectacle, scenery, history, legend and an impressive array of Asian stars bundled into one grand banquet. But it could have been grander."
—
New Zealand Herald
New Zealand Herald"Although this is hailed as Woo's "homecoming" after his Hollywood tenure, hardcore disciples of his Hong Kong oeuvre will be straining hard to find the all-stops-out passion and sinewy machismo that ignited his bullet ballets such as "A Better Tomorrow" or "The Killer"..."
—
Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood Reporter"Camp, over-the-top and entirely unbelievable: in short, the best thing John Woo has made in years."
—
Empire Magazine
Empire Magazine"With Red Cliff, Woo manages to do what his Hollywood contemporaries could not do with Troy or Alexander; he has made the historical epic fun, credible, and a Brad Pitt- and Orlando Bloom-free zone."
—
Christchurch Press
Christchurch PressRed Cliff (Chi bi) | Details
- Runtime
- 148
- Genre
- Action, Adventure, Drama, War
- Country of origin
- China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, USA
