Quck Look: Red Cliff (Chinese Version)

I must preface this review with a couple of disclaimers. First, Tony Leung (above) is one of my favorite cinema actors. Two, I also squeal with delight anytime anybody mentions John Woo in a sentence. Unless that sentence also mentions "Hollywood" or "Western." There's a reason why his most recent Hollywood efforts have been forgettable. But I'm not here to talk about Woo, I'm here to talk about his Chinese historical epic Red Cliff.

And oh my, is it epic.The battle sequences are intense, the special effects are awe-inspiring, and the action sequences are wonderfully choreographed.

That said, it's undeniably a summer blockbuster flick. The character development is sufficient, but hardly something you call satisfying. It's a solid movie, but it's hardly a movie that fits John Woo's trademark cinematic style. You'll find precious little of Woo's famed techniques and pause-burst-pause pacing here, and the plot pacing seemingly gets lost in several subplots, especially the romantic subplot near the end. As a result, the film sags noticeably when there aren't people dying or things aren't being blown up. Tony Leung does a solid job as the main lead, but he definitely isn't as dynamic as Chow Yun-Fat, who originally was supposed to play the role.

All things considered, Red Cliff is a better cinematic epic than 2004's Troy and 2005's Kingdom of Heaven, thanks to John Woo's expert hand during the battle sequences and a more cohesive plot. But like those films, Red Cliff can't compete with Lord of The Rings in terms of quality, writing, characterization, and plot. So don't watch it believing in the hype that this is "Asia's answer to Lord of the Rings". Asian cinema still has a way to go before it can match Peter Jackson's famed trilogy.

As for which version you should watch, if possible go for the Chinese version if you appreciate a more cohesive narrative. The American version is half the length of the original's 4 hours, and it cuts out almost all of the character development and political intrigue. But if you can only watch the American version (I ordered the DVDs from Hong Kong), by all means do so. It's a very solid film.

Finally, I arrive at the most important question that burns on the lips of all Hong Kong film fanatics everywhere; Are John Woo's signature doves in the film? Yup, they are. Rejoice Woo fans.