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Power-hungry Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) gathers his troops to invade Southern China in John Woo’s historical “Red Cliff.” |
At a cost of $80 million, John Woo’s historical China war epic “Red Cliff” ranks as the most expensive Chinese-language movie ever made, and Woo puts every penny of it on the screen and in the sound.
Woo is mostly known in the U.S. for his hyperbolic, stylized 1980s action films such as “The Killer” and “A Better Tomorrow.” So, “Red Cliff” might be a surprise – or a disappointment – for loyal Woosters when they see the Chinese-born filmmaker can handle a more conventional period war drama without resorting to many of his oft-used action-film devices.
In subject at least, “Red Cliff” ranks along side such battle movies as “The Enemy Below” (1957) which pitted a destroyer captain against a submarine captain, and “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), which pitted a Federation captain against a renegade Khan.
These movies delight in exploring how personality, education and observation come into play when smart, efficient military leaders engage each other in a life-and-death version of chess. (Read more…)