Red Cliff (Chi bi) Review
By David Kempler
Bloody Red Cliff
Director John Woo began his career in Chinese cinema, where he initially carved his reputation in the genre of comedy. Since then he has transitioned into one of the great masters of action films. With "Red Cliff", Woo has made his first feature film shot in mainland China and it reunites him with Tony Leung for the first time since they made "Hard Bolied" in 1992.
The setting is China in the year 208 AD. The film tells the legendary tale of the Battle of Red Cliff, an epic showdown between rival provinces in China. Prime Minister and General Cao Cao (Zheng Fenyi) wants to invade the neighbors to the south so that he can defeat the warlords Liu Bei (You Yong) and San Quan (Chang Chen), but he needs the permission of the Han dynasty Emperor to organize the mission. With permission granted, Cao goes to war. Liu Bei's military strategist, Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) knows that his forces cannot win alone, so he reaches out to San Quan's advisor, Zhou Yu (Tony Leung) to unite their armies. With both sides formed, the battle is on.
Early on, "Red Cliff" is a little confusing, partially because of the many names one is forced to remember. I also confess to giggling a bit at some of the early fighting scenes because of the kung fu exploits where an army of thirty can be overcome by one man armed with the equivalent of satin glove. I actually sang the words to "Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting" at one point. Adding to the unintended comedy is one fellow who is a dead ringer for John Belushi in one of his SNL Samurai skits.
But Woo eventually gets down to serious business during a magnificent and beautifully shot ambush scene and the film explodes off the screen. From that point forward, "Red Cliff" is as good as it gets when it comes to action or war films. It is not an overstatement to deem it as epic during the second half. If Woo had been able to present a first half at a similar level we would be talking about a very, very special cinema experience. Consistent throughout, however, are the production values. First-rate stuff. As it is, the film is still a definite must-see even if you find yourself humming a few bars of "Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting".
