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Red Cliff (2009)
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Reviews Counted:93
Fresh:82
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
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 B |
It's not top-notch Woo, but it's also not Hollywood so-so Woo. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
This is one of the best foreign language films of 2009. Woo demonstrates a storytelling style of swiftness and grandeur that has been compared to the samurai classics of Akira Kurosawa. Full Review |
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A formidable prelude to an epic battle with resplendent effects and action spectacles. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
As drama Red Cliff is overwrought. As spectacle, though, John Woo’s latest is the real thing, an old-fashioned cast-of-thousands collision of armies. Full Review |
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3/4 |
It reminded me of a Road Runner cartoon. The battlefield violence is essentially repetitious, but Woo -- the auteur as Wile E. Coyote -- introduces gimmicks ('the tortoise formation'), tricks and variations to keep things interesting. Full Review |
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4/5 |
As hard as it tries, Red Cliff just can’t muster the heavily filtered mythmaking of the war films of Steven Spielberg and David Lean. And thank goodness for that. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Woo has re-embraced his Chinese roots with brutal commitment. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Flaws and all, you can’t watch a frame of it without feeling that it has been generations since Hollywood tackled anything on this scale. Full Review |
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3.5/5 |
One of the most exhilarating action movies of the year. Full Review |
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It’s hard to know what we’re missing from the extended cut, but this Red Cliff feels awfully complete to me. Full Review |
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B |
The film's countless canned platitudes aside, an intriguing plot unfolds wherein intellect and brute strength play against one another... Full Review |
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4/5 |
It is a very focused movie, centred on the chesslike manoeuvres of a few key characters, and nicely paced with some quiet, almost Zen-like moments. Full Review |
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3/4 |
It's a historical war movie with impressive sweep, strong characterizations and the kind of idiosyncratic flourishes that made Woo such an irresistible storyteller. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
What remains is still plenty rousing, especially to moviegoers eager to see Woo regain his footing after an increasingly dismal series of outings in Hollywood. Full Review |
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8/10 |
Spectacular is the most appropriate word to describe this epic historical adventure - it's visually impeccable and impressive. Full Review |
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With the costumed epic Red Cliff, celebrated Hong Kong and Hollywood action director John Woo wanders into unaccustomed turf. Full Review |
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... a triumph [that] demands to be seen on the biggest possible screen. Full Review |
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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. Full Review |
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9/10 |
Many 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. Full Review |
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I loved watching Red Cliff from a purely technical level but never cared about it on a human one. Full Review |
CommentLatest 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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