Red Cliff (2009)

Epics just don't get made with any kind of regularity these days. The reasons are pretty obvious: enormous expense, logistical difficulties, lengthy productions, et al. That's not to say that big-budget movies have gone out of fashion; hardly. It's just that those who can command such budgets within the Hollywood machine don't make movies like that with any frequency.

His stay in Hollywood may have been disappointing for fans of his fabulous Hong Kong action films of the 1980s, but John Woo is such a director in the Asian and international markets. He has carte blanche. More to the point, he has the vision and the talent to make it work. So news of his sprawling epic, Red Cliff, teased fans for months before the film found its way stateside. I'm delighted to say it was worth the wait.

Based on a 3rd century battle between rival warlords during China's period of fractured dynasties (commonly referred to as the period of the Three Kingdoms), Red Cliff works its magic in big flourishes and simple gestures in an unabashedly romantic vision of ancient conflict. Woo worked with the biggest budget for an Asian film ever, and in the Asian market, the film more than returned on its investment, taking in US$124 million in revenue (toppling Titanic from the top of the list). It was also released in Asia as a four-hour film in two parts. What we get is an edited-down 2 1/2-hour movie, focused more on the narrative history elements and combat action than on the subtext. Even so, it works well.

The story is full of twists, but the basics are pretty straightforward: an ambitious warlord, Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang), manipulates the weak Han emperor of the northern kingdom into declaring a pre-emptive war on the kingdoms of the south, which have suffered loss after loss to the periodic aggressions of northern kingdom soldiers. As Cao Cao prepares to attack the Liu Bei's territory, Liu Bei (Yong You) frantically sends his diplomat, Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), to propose a quick alliance with Sun Quan (Chen Chang) to fight against Cao Cao's onslaught. Sun and Zhuge forge a friendship through a shared love of music and art, and Zhuge's gentle persuasion wins out over the concerns of some of Sun's advisors. Meanwhile, Cao Cao has built a massive army from conquered rivals and an alliance with two naval commanders in mounting his strategy of conquest. It all points to a military outpost on the Yangtze River, at a place called Red Cliffs, where Cao Cao intends to attack.

This is, in many ways, the classic underdog story: the smaller defense forces must rely on a wise strategy and quickly adapt their tactics in order to have a shot at holding Cao Cao's forces off. Meanwhile, Cao Cao knows he can take nothing for granted; he has his own strategy and is quick to seize opportunities as they present themselves. The chess match of battle planning is a fulcrum of the action we see. And boy ... what action.

The battle scenes are breathtaking, incorporating ancient battle formations and pitched fights involving cavalry and infantry, two naval battles and a fortress siege. The heavy edits to the American version doesn't seem to have detracted from these audiovisual wonders in the least. As for the interpersonal dramas that motivate some of the key command decisions ... We are definitely missing out here. Not that unidentified characters come creeping in at key moments; it's not that glaring. But the strength of these relationships is sometimes assumed. Also, the espionage of Sun Quan's clever sister, Sun Shangxiang (Wei Zhao), isn't developed to the extent it should be—a victim of the two-films-into-one cutting. Not a major flaw, but bothersome because the characters are interesting on their own terms.

The battle scenes feature long shots of tactical troop movements, along with the close-up combat of individuals and their units. Fans of Woo's previous action films will recognize some of the master's classic techniques here, along with familiar elements of martial arts choreography. It's interesting that the "magic" elements so typical even of larger battle scenes in Hong Kong films, often considered necessary for the Hong Kong market, are downplayed here for nitty-gritty brutality (artistic though it is) of pitched hand-to-hand combat. That they are so flawlessly integrated is, of course, nothing less than magical itself, and what we've come to expect from John Woo.

Still, the spectacle of the incredible battle scenes—the courage, ingenuity, and sheer fortune of the southern alliance, along with the clever machinations of the ambitious Cao Cao, make for big-screen cinema of the first order. And yes, Red Cliff is one movie that should be seen at the theater. I daresay those who enjoy the film will want to see the full two-part version when that becomes available to the market, likely via DVD. I know I will. And I'll be glad to have seen both.