Spectacular is the most appropriate word to describe this epic historical adventure - it's visually impeccable and impressive.
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11/30/09
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Red Cliff (2009)
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Reviews Counted:79
Fresh:68
Rotten:11
Average Rating:7.1/10
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.
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Reviews for Red Cliff
With the costumed epic Red Cliff, celebrated Hong Kong and Hollywood action director John Woo wanders into unaccustomed turf.
11/29/09
... a triumph [that] demands to be seen on the biggest possible screen.
11/27/09
The biggest film of the year opens this week, though you may be forgiven if you haven't heard about it, as it has committed the unpardonable sin of being in Chinese.
11/26/09
Top CriticMany people see Red Cliff as Hong Kong actioneer John Woo's return to form. I'm not one of them. John Woo has never once made a film I've liked. Until now.
11/25/09
I loved watching Red Cliff from a purely technical level but never cared about it on a human one.
11/25/09
I left the movie thinking, "Wow, those were some really good formations those soldiers invented. Who were they again, anyway?"
11/25/09
Not a bad consolation prize, but not the complex, multilayered drama that made Red Cliff a hit in Asia.
11/25/09
From landscape shots that have the serene beauty of a Han Dynasty watercolor, to its dramatic naval engagements and thundering cavalry charges, this is magnificent filmmaking, and a magnificent film.
11/25/09
Top CriticWoo doesn't have Yimou's natural feel for the courtly culture, or, perhaps, his sweeping way with this type of story. But his hand is sure and his eye, as ever, finds beauty in everything, even death.
11/24/09
Returning to his roots after a stint in Hollywood, Woo has made the most expensive film in mainland Chinese history, a pleasantly traditional picture that marks a new direction for one of the world's premier action maestros.
11/24/09
Top CriticThe compelling emotion that marks the best Woo movies is AWOL. The pacing is choppy, with most of the human moments lopped off. Is the Han emperor the good guy? Or should we cheer the rebellious opposition warlords? And what the heck is a viceroy?
11/24/09
Top CriticIt's almost 2 1/2 hours, and too much is corny, cramped, and vague.
11/24/09
Top CriticThe cuts may be appalling to those who've seen the original, but I'm not one of them, and I think this version is pretty solid.
11/24/09
It's all about the action.
11/24/09
A magnificent achievement...both fascinating and fun--so good, in fact, that after watching this cut you just might to search out the director's original 280-minute version.
11/24/09
a historical epic featuring great characters, extremely clever tactical maneuvering, and scope, scope, scope...
11/22/09
Overlong but ambitious, Woo proves he's as good at tactical maneuvers as he is at close-quarters combat.
11/20/09
Top CriticRed Cliff is a legendary filmmaker's visual symphony.
11/20/09
Top CriticWoo 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.
11/19/09
Latest News for Red Cliff
November 19, 2009:
Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
This week at the movies, we've got hot teen vampires (The Twilight Saga: New Moon, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson); a football family (The Blind Side, starring... More...
October 16, 2009:
John Woo Prepares to Unleash Flying Tigers 
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
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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