a historical epic featuring great characters, extremely clever tactical maneuvering, and scope, scope, scope...
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11/22/09
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Red Cliff (2009)
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Tomatometer
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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.
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... [More]
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Reviews for Red Cliff
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
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
11/19/09
What we’re seeing isn’t all that Woo intended. It’s merely a strong reminder of just how good he can be.
11/19/09
Top CriticThe film is both traditional and modern: austere in its engagement with history, and insistent in its showy action beats.
11/19/09
The most interesting and freshest part of Red Cliff is its emphasis on battle strategy
11/19/09
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.
11/19/09
Top CriticThis is basically The Art of War: The Movie.
11/19/09
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.
11/19/09
A sensationally entertaining, visually stunning epic filled with enough thrilling and invigorating action sequences to compensate for its dull, less captivating dramatic scenes.
11/18/09
Warring armies clash in third-century China. Epic adventure marks a return to form for director John Woo.
11/18/09
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.
11/18/09
Top CriticThere'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.
11/18/09
Top CriticDripping with lush detail, spectacular battles, and superb acting performances, Red Cliff is a nuanced approach to combat rarely seen on screen in modern times
11/18/09
The latest picture from John Woo isn’t especially Woosome -- not if you remember his delirious gun hugs from The Killer and Face/Off.
11/18/09
Watching Red Cliff feels like being in the presence of gods who have momentarily deigned to walk upon the earth.
11/17/09
Top CriticHard not to be impressed by the spectacular way Woo gives Western audiences an Asian history lesson that's thoroughly entertaining at the same time.
11/17/09
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.
11/17/09
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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