After fifteen years of Woo-light
Hollywood action movies, one of Asia's biggest exports returned to China to
take on The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms.
We've all ready seen countless movie interpretations, television dramas, novels
and even video games, but it's Woo's take on events that grabbed our attention.
The two movies have been cut and
re-edited for a western cinematic release, coming in at a mere 150 minutes. The
original two-part release however (running at close to 300 minutes), having
broken records in China by out grossing both Titanic and The Dark Knight,
suggests that the birdman is back in business. The man who put the "P"
in pigeon and the "D" in dove fills the screen with his
favourite themes; brotherhood, honour and quite a lot of bird poop, I would imagine.
Tony Leung re-teams with Woo for the
first time since 1992's Hard Boiled. Kaneshiro Takeshi (The Warlords), Chang
Chen (The Go Master), Zhang Feng Yi (The Emperor and the Assassin), Vicki Zhao
(Shaolin Soccer), Hu Jun (Infernal Affairs 2), Nakamura Shidou (Fearless), and
Taiwanese model Lin Chi Ling make up the rest of the Scooby Gang.
Fearing that Liu Bei and the Kingdom of
Shu cannot oppose Cao Cao; strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) proposes
an alliance with the Kingdom of Wu. However, Wu ruler Sun Quan (Chang Chen) is
uncertain about challenging Cao Cao so Zhuge Liang looks to persuade
Sun Quan's chief strategist Zhou Yu (Tony Leung) before they bottle it. The two
men form an instant bond (not in a gay way) and decide to battle Cao Cao at the
water port of Red Cliff; the clue really is in the title.
Red Cliff opens with a big ass
action sequence, and though the set pieces are well choreographed, they are not
quite as spectacular as the size and scope of the movie would
have you believe. The battles here, at least in the beginning, are of the one man against the world variety, and
though they are very enjoyable, it does often feel as though Woo is saving the
best for part two. Characters are given a chance to shine on the
battlefield, even if it is surprisingly daft at times, but then, Woo has never
really been known for subtlety.
Character development becomes the films
focus from here on in and because of the huge cast list, some of the characters
aren’t given as much time in the spotlight as others. Zhang Fengyi makes the
biggest impression in the first half of the movie as the overly confident Cao
Cao; so smug they named him twice. A spectacular closing sequence allows Woo’s
greatest passion to take flight; performances fall into place and the slow
build threatens to pay off. Part one is a
bit of a tease then, in much the same way as The Two Towers was for LOTR fans, but not since Back To The
Future’s ‘To be continued’ have I anticipated a second chapter as much as this.
Vicky Zhao has a worthwhile part to play
in the second half, forming a relationship of sorts with one of her enemies. In
fact, the ‘lesser’ characters have a greater involvement in the films
denouement and Red Cliff benefits greatly as a result. Zhang Fengyi remains the
film's most striking presence, and at times I forgot which side I was fighting
for, such is the charisma of the man up front. It’s nice to see Takeshi
Kaneshiro grow into his role as well, Leung is excellent of course but Takeshi
proves to be the more formidable screen talent.
On the downside, Woo can’t quite escape
the dafter side of his filmmaking prowess. Whether it is the growing
relationship between Pit and Piggy or the final ‘I can’t believe he just did
that’ sentimental fuck-fest, Woo seems intent on infusing emotional baggage
with the rest of the carnage. But hey, by this point you should be too far-gone
to care.
This is John Woo’s best film in years. Nothing he made in Hollywood comes close. Red Cliff would benefit from the occasional
nip/tuck, one or two scenes do drift occasionally, slowing proceedings down to
a crawl, but that's just nitpicking. Red Cliff remains a startling
achievement. As for John, lets hope he stays in the East, because he sure love
those birds, and when Red Cliff takes flight it truly soars… AW
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