Red Cliff is the site of the most famous military feat in Chinese history – Battle of Red Cliff, but the phrase refers to the first film to re-create the 208 A.D. Battle.


However, the functional script has dismantled much of the original story's dramatic intricacies and character complexities, and then reassembled it into three-act structure easy for you to follow. Meanwhile, Woo's signature themes as male bonding and David-and-Goliath face-offs still drive the action. Moreover, production and costume designer Tim Yip goes for historical accuracy and creates a period look that is imperious and dignified.

Made on a budget of US$80 million, Red Cliff named after the battle site, is also the most expensive Chinese-language picture ever mounted. With a cast of reputedly a million soldiers as well as stars from Hong Kong, Mainland China and Taiwan, this is hailed as John Woo's "homecoming" after his Hollywood tenure.


Seeing as the close to two-and-a-half-hour long epic, its 140-minute first half just opened across major Asian territories. The Part 1 opens with ambitious Prime Minister Cao Cao browbeating the emperor of Han into authorizing a campaign to crush his enemies, Liu Bei and Sun Quanin in their southern strongholds. Besides action scenes, Woo also designs the character interaction, focusing on Liu's strategist Zhu-ge Liang persuasion of Sun Qun to ally with Liu and his elaborately built-up meeting with Sun's viceroy, Zhou Yu. The men's chemistry flickers but does not sparkle.


Though the Part 1 is only a prelude that provides the beams and columns for the narrative framework, decisive action and spot-on drama spectacles, as well as a cliff-hanger ending are more than enough to justify its length, and it also sufficiently kindles expectations for the climactic clash in upcoming Part 2.