The result is an awfully big and powerful movie, even in abbreviated form.
1 Comment
12/18/09
Rate this Movie 
Red Cliff (2009)
84
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:19
Fresh:16
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.4/10
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.
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Red Cliff
1 - 19 (sorted by date)
Top CriticA formidable prelude to an epic battle with resplendent effects and action spectacles.
12/11/09
Top CriticIt’s hard to know what we’re missing from the extended cut, but this Red Cliff feels awfully complete to me.
12/07/09
Top CriticIt's a historical war movie with impressive sweep, strong characterizations and the kind of idiosyncratic flourishes that made Woo such an irresistible storyteller.
12/04/09
Top CriticWhat remains is still plenty rousing, especially to moviegoers eager to see Woo regain his footing after an increasingly dismal series of outings in Hollywood.
12/04/09
Top CriticThe 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 CriticFrom 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 CriticReturning 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 CriticOverlong 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 CriticWhat 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 CriticMr. 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 CriticWhat 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 CriticWatching Red Cliff feels like being in the presence of gods who have momentarily deigned to walk upon the earth.
11/17/09
Top CriticAny war picture in which the heroine stalls the villain with a quiet, painstaking tea ceremony until the wind shifts direction and the good guys can firebomb the bad guys into oblivion is too ineffably Zen not to love.
11/09/09
Top CriticBalances 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.
07/21/08
Top Critic1 - 19 (sorted by date)
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...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Best Nude Scenes of the Year
Moviefone lists their top ten nude scenes from film in 2009.
Hollywood.com's Best of 2009
Thomas Leupp offers us Hollywood.com's take on the best films of the year.
Best Dozen of the Decade
Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds