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Movies / On DVD / Red Cliff
Red Cliff

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Red Cliff (2009)

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Reviews Counted:63

Fresh:55

Rotten:8

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Featuring some impressively grand battlefield action, John Woo returns to Asia and returns to form in the process for this lavish and slick historical epic.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sequences of epic warfare.

Runtime: 2 hrs 20 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:Nov 18, 2009 Limited

Synopsis: After directing stylish action films such as THE KILLERS and FACE-OFF, director John Woo turns to Chinese history for inspiration with RED CLIFF. The Han Dynasty is facing its death in third... After directing stylish action films such as THE KILLERS and FACE-OFF, director John Woo turns to Chinese history for inspiration with RED CLIFF. The Han Dynasty is facing its death in third century China, and the emperor raises a million-man army against two kingdoms that are hopelessly outmatched. This war film stars Tony Leung, the beloved actor best known for LUST, CAUTION and IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. [More]

Starring: Tony Leung, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Chi-Ling Lin

Starring: Tony Leung, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Chi-Ling Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Hu Jun

Director: John Woo

Director: John Woo
Screenwriter: John Woo, Khan Chan, Kuo Zheng, Sheng Heyu
Producer: John Woo, Terence Chang
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

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Release:

Oct 7, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Red Cliff

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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a historical epic featuring great characters, extremely clever tactical maneuvering, and scope, scope, scope...

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
11/22/09
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Overlong but ambitious, Woo proves he's as good at tactical maneuvers as he is at close-quarters combat.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment 1 Comment
11/20/09
Joe Neumaier
Joe Neumaier
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Red Cliff is a legendary filmmaker's visual symphony.

Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal | comment Comment
11/20/09
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Woo had the chance of a lifetime ... to film one of the greatest Chinese stories, and blew it by tinkering with it so much that not only is it no longer the story many of us know and love, it's also a version that can't even be considered on par.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/19/09
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

As impressively mounted as Braveheart and Gladiator, but as directed by Hong Kong action master John Woo, it easily surpasses them in terms of style and grace, action and cinematography

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
11/19/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Common Sense Media

What we’re seeing isn’t all that Woo intended. It’s merely a strong reminder of just how good he can be.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
11/19/09
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film is both traditional and modern: austere in its engagement with history, and insistent in its showy action beats.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
11/19/09
Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
AV Club

The most interesting and freshest part of Red Cliff is its emphasis on battle strategy

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/19/09
Matt McKillop
Matt McKillop
Filmcritic.com

Mr. Woo, who can make romantic poetry out of a battle among 20 men in the confines of a teahouse, seems defeated, or at least defused, by this increase in scale.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
11/19/09
Mike Hale
Mike Hale
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is basically The Art of War: The Movie.

Full Review Source: Mania.com | comment Comment
11/19/09
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Mania.com

A user-friendly spectacle of warriors and weapons, Red Cliff is a majestic motion picture that returns Woo to the sort of whirlwind screen restlessness he built his legendary name upon.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
11/19/09
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

A sensationally entertaining, visually stunning epic filled with enough thrilling and invigorating action sequences to compensate for its dull, less captivating dramatic scenes.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
11/18/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

Warring armies clash in third-century China. Epic adventure marks a return to form for director John Woo.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
11/18/09
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

What remains on screen is impressive -- grand battles, dazzling action, sumptuous sets, magnificent panoramas. What's lost in the abbreviation is the emotional element as Woo chronicles an epic clash of warriors in the 3rd century.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
11/18/09
David Germain
David Germain
Associated Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's plenty of vivid action to fill two and a half hours in John Woo's Chinese historical war epic Red Cliff, a rewarding change of terrain and era for the inventive Hong Kong director.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
11/18/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Dripping with lush detail, spectacular battles, and superb acting performances, Red Cliff is a nuanced approach to combat rarely seen on screen in modern times

Full Review Source: MovieWeb | comment Comment
11/18/09
Julian Roman
Julian Roman
MovieWeb

The latest picture from John Woo isn’t especially Woosome -- not if you remember his delirious gun hugs from The Killer and Face/Off.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
11/18/09
Joshua Rothkopf
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York

Watching Red Cliff feels like being in the presence of gods who have momentarily deigned to walk upon the earth.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
11/17/09
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hard not to be impressed by the spectacular way Woo gives Western audiences an Asian history lesson that's thoroughly entertaining at the same time.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
11/17/09
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

Blazes across the screen with a sweep that most movies can only dream of. It's nice to see a master like Woo at the height of his powers, after slipping Hollywood's shackle.

Full Review Source: Hollywood & Fine | comment Comment
11/17/09
Marshall Fine
Marshall Fine
Hollywood & Fine
 
 
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Latest News for Red Cliff

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October 16, 2009: John Woo Prepares to Unleash Flying Tigers Opens in new window
His "Red Cliff" is finally reaching American theaters next month, but John Woo is already on to his next project, a war drama to be titled "Flying Tigers." More...

October 04, 2009: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

May 19, 2009: Sydney Film Festival Gets Wooed
Hong Kong action maestro John Woo will appear at this year's Sydney Film Festival to present his latest epic, Red Cliff, which has its Australian premiere on June 9. The... More...

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