Red Cliff

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Red Cliff

R

2009

2h 28m

History

Drama

Action

Adventure

War

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

108 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In ancient China, the emperor of the Han Dynasty allows General Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) to declare war against the rebellious southern provinces, with the intention of unifying the entire country. Cao's large army quickly advances, killing civilians and soldiers alike. To resist Cao, the southern warlords form an alliance led by Viceroy Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). Outnumbered, Zhou relies upon elaborate formations and unorthodox strategies to fight against Cao's overwhelming forces.

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Critics 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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Simon Abrams

House Next Door

Mar 29, 2011

Cleaner and probably more rewatchable than Red Cliff 2.

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J. Hoberman

Village Voice

Jun 29, 2010

The director's magnum opus.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Jan 22, 2010

3/5

You may have the biggest flat-screen DLP monitor in the city, but Red Cliff will never look half as spectacular as it will on the big -- and I mean really big -- screen.

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Trevor Johnston

Radio Times

Aug 18, 2026

4/5

It's undeniably a long haul, but there's enough derring-do and epic sweep here to carry the audience along regardless.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Aug 30, 2023

2/4

The prestige of the story doesn’t forgive the fact that John Woo lost his edge years ago, and that’s fully evident in every frame of this overlong epic.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 21, 2020

3.5/4.0

Tony Leung is powerful and involving as a sort of peaceful, poetic warrior who largely serves as the film's heroic figure.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 27, 2026

Red Cliff = a *4* star Movie!

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KarthiK P.

@madkarthi Aug 15, 2026

It is an interesting historical epic in many ways. Watching it in full frame on Bluray offers great picture quality and makes for a really nice viewing experience overall. The film does have a few quirks that stand out. especially the slide transitions between scenes. which feel quite dated and irritating. Certain stretches also drag along and feel a bit boring. making it a little hard to sit through in places. Despite the slow pacing in parts. most of the movie is crafted really well and remains thoroughly enjoyable. It sets up the scale nicely and leaves curious to see how the story concludes in Part 2.

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Kevin L

@Lakeman Jul 19, 2026

"Red Cliff" has to be one of the visually astonishing films I've seen; esp. among an already impressive body of wuxia movies. The fire fight scenes toward the end are esp. remarkable. Not sure how much CGI was used in its making, but it all seemed realistic & was highly effective, imo. Just a gorgeous work. Much credit to the cinematography & art direction. As impressive as the visuals are, perhaps just as amazing are the tactical ideas used in the battle. Liang & Cao Cao have a brilliant battle of wits that show tactical mastery but also great ingenuity in attempting to outmaneuver the other. Fine acting here from the main players- Kaneshiro, Zhang, Chen, Lin, & the always very cool Tony Leung. Nice work from most supporting players as well. John Woo and his production crew really crushed it with this fantastic wuxia epic. It just kept getting bigger, better, & upping the visual display- from the natural setting to the battle scenes on land & sea. 4.3 stars

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Chao long Y

@533533 May 15, 2026

吴宇森绝对是当代伟大的动作电影大师，他的电影影响着后世电影工作者

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Santiago R.

@ThePilgrimPadre Jan 10, 2026

Amazing cinematography

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Sep 4, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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John Woo

Director

Tony Leung Chiu Wai

Zhou Yu

Takeshi Kaneshiro

Zhuge Liang

Fengyi Zhang

Cao Cao

Chang Chen

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Synopsis

In ancient China, the emperor of the Han Dynasty allows General Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) to declare war against the rebellious southern provinces, with the intention of unifying the entire country. Cao's large army quickly advances, killing civilians and soldiers alike. To resist Cao, the southern warlords form an alliance led by Viceroy Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). Outnumbered, Zhou relies upon elaborate formations and unorthodox strategies to fight against Cao's overwhelming forces.

Director: John Woo
Producer: Terence Chang, Sanping Han, John Woo
Screenwriter: John Woo, Chan Hon, Cheng Kuo, Heyu Sheng
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: China Film Group Corp., Beijing Film Studio, Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG) [hk], Lion Rock Productions, Shanghai Film Group
Rating: R (Sequences of Epic Warfare)
Genre: History, Drama, Action, Adventure, War
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 20, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 24, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $626.8K
Runtime: 2h 28m

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