'Red Cliff' review

Tony Leung (Credit: Magnet)

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In this bombastic retelling of a famed ancient Chinese battle, two peaceful kingdoms must come together in order to fend off the conquering troops of the northern Han Empire, led by bloodthirsty general Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi). There's extra stress on the "blood" part: The gusher of a showdown comes complete with violent swordfights, charging cavalries, fiery warships, a dashing military leader (Zhou Yu, played by Tony Leung) and about a gazillion screaming warriors ready to slice, impale, pummel and maul.

The buzz: "Red Cliff" marks the highly anticipated return of action maestro John Woo, who seems to have squandered his legacy of operatic crime sagas ("Hard-Boiled," "Face/Off") in favor of limp Hollywood clunkers ("Paycheck"? Really?). Now he's back in top form with material that smartly mines the history and iconography of his heritage.

The verdict: It's "Troy" on crack! The sheer scale and sweep of "Red Cliff" is staggering—everything is bigger, better, faster. Fleets of ships stretch as far as the eye can see; battalions of men on horseback converge like a colony of ants. Woo pulls out all the stops, splurging on gorgeous sets, lush cinematography, intricate costumes and slick visual effects—all in service rousing action sequences that showcase the director's flair for balletic violence. Does it work? Not always. As in many of Woo's films, style often trumps substance, and that's too often the case here. Stilted dialogue isn't any better when the shot looks cool. And be prepared, this epic is long (almost three hours), which can make its action sequences feel like overkill. But at its best, "Red Cliff" is quite entertaining and a real visual stunner. It's a reminder of just how talented Woo can be when he sticks to his strengths.

Did you know? "Red Cliff" is reportedly the most expensive Asian film ever made, with a budget of $80 million. If you think this international release version is long, Woo's original cut for Asian audiences runs five hours, and is broken into two parts.

["Red Cliff" is also available from Magnolia's on demand service through select cable companies, Xbox Live and Amazon.com.]

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