To all movie freaks out there fed on Hollywood war movies, this is the one to watch! Military stratagems match military stratagems, it leads you to the battlefield within the first five minutes and from then on you are never off, be it mind, emotions or the actual physical fight. There is blood and gore but handled very well so that it makes you hate war rather than hating the movie. I am reviewing both Red Cliff I and II in this review as both are stylistically same. Both together are 4 hours long so have been released as 2 part- 2 hour movies. Believe me, once you finish part I, you will be dying to get your hands on the next one.
The movie starts with the young Chinese Emperor manipulated by the Prime Minister to grant him permission to wage war againt two of the feudal lords. To reveal more would be to give away the complex political subtext that unfolds slowly with the movie. The first movie leaves you with the two armies on the Red Cliff in astandoff, rebel army waiting for the Prime Minister to attack.As expected the final battleground is the Red Cliff. The movie has been released elsewhere as The Battle of Red Cliff for the same reason.
It is the movie that teaches you the importance of wind, water and all the natural elements in war. With all the pyrotechnics of the modern war, it seems such a pristine golden time. Watch out for the’Tortoise Formation’, the use of shields to ward off enemies, biological warfare, use of rumors, spies, you name it and its there. Simple games like throwing arrows in the vase assume relevance of their own. I particularly liked the way Zhu-ge Liang(played by Takeshi Kaneshiro)’made’ 10, 000 arrows.
Though this is an out and out John Woo movie and bears his stamp, the cast of Tony Leung as Viceroy Zhou, Takeshi Kaneshiro as Zhu-ge Liang have played the roles to the hilt. They form the crux of the movie and John Woo has chosen well. The supporting cast of Chang Chen, Zhao Wei and Lin chi Ling have also delievered good perfomances. Zhao Wei as the spirited tomboyish princess was particularly impressive. No wonder she has been considered the best Chinese actress of modern times. Lin-chi Ling as the Viceroy’s wife is beautiful enough to have wars fought for her! By the way she is a Taiwanese supermodel, so no wonder!
The storyline is a star in its own right. It is worth the four hours of runtime. At times, you might find it a bit long, filled with minor details that could have been avoided or the dancing, poetry or music scenes that are more of fillers. Brief internet research revealed that John Woo knows his history well even if there are glitches. However much I wished for a romatic angle between the princess and Zhu-geLiang, John Woo decided to stick to history and there were refernces ofher marrying the elderly feudal warlord. There are repeated refernces of the allies turning against each other, which actually happened. Viceroy’s wife is considered among the two most beautiful women in China ever, and has been mentioned in various Computer games;).
(In fact my only ruse while watching the movie was, why don’t we Indians make movies like this? Its not as if we don’t have a history as rich as Chinese or war strategies as sharp as theirs? Then why is it that the best battlefield scene we come up with is the half-baked kiddish battle of Panipat of Jodha Akbar? if anyone has answers please do tell!)
Disclaimer: This review has been written by someone who loves Kung-Fu action-adventure movies. She loved Jet Li in Hero and liked Once Upon a Time in China I-IV, Forbidden Kingdom, fell hook line and sinker for Takeshi Kaneshiro in The House of Flying Daggers etc etc. By the way this is not to say that she doesnt simply adore Jackie Chan! So kindly understand the biases and make your opinions.