Red Cliff – Review
John Woo’s six film American output is a curious case. One can dismiss them, cited the typical adage of Hollywood ruining a fine career, since Woo gained notoriety in the foreign markets first, before Hollywood came calling. Yet, despite a few duds in his six American films, and some studio interference, I think Hard Target is vintage Woo. The stylized action scenes, perfectly suited for the then star Jean-Claude Van Damme, the Mexican standoffs, and those pigeons that appear in his slow motion sequences, are all Woo on the top of his game. Even Face/Off is a fine Woo action effort. Yet, it was the studio interference for Broken Arrow, Windtalkers, and Paycheck and the combination of poor box office returns that sent him back to China.
Woo is a gifted action director, and in these six films I believe it was lackluster stories and him being out of place, that caused him to drown here in the States. He became a template for Asian directors for jumping ship to America, in pursuit of stardom. Most of those directors forgot what got them the attention in the first place, but not Woo. Even Mission: Impossible II was typical Woo, even if the effort was him on cruise control (no pun intended).
16 years later, Woo returns to China for Red Cliff, his mammoth epic based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a 14th Century historical novel about the trying times in the later part of the Han Dynasty. Red Cliff sees Woo coming back to his earlier directing days, like in Last Hurrah for Chivalry (Hao xia, 1979). Woo’s visual prowess wasn’t lost in translation, as within the epic they’re are plenty of superb fight scenes and long, sweeping battles. While nothing new, since the historical epic in China has been hot right now, ever since Yimou’s Hero, and even recent fare like Battle of Wits and Empress and the Warriors, but Woo’s scope of the film is huge; a multi-layered story filled with gigantic battles, Red Cliff will impress, even the hardest of Woo’s critics.
The action isn’t the only thing that’s remarkable. The cinematography is equally as grand and lavish with stunning costumes and set design. Now, the real reason to celebrate Woo’s return is the fact that he’s got a great story to tell. Sadly, for the U.S. release, Red Cliff was trimmed down from the over 4 hour length, to a disjointed 2 and half hours. I mentioned the story, and while there are elements within our cut that shortsighted characterization and plot angles, a smarter viewer will recognize the emotionally charged story arc. It’s just a shame we won’t get that cut, at least theatrically, because some character motivations, subplots, and clarity are missed. I guess America just doesn’t get what makes John Woo, John Woo.
Some won’t get passed this cut and some of the inconsistencies, yet Red Cliff even in our U.S. cut, is a grand return for John Woo, on all levels. Hopefully, Woo isn’t bitter about his Hollywood experience, because maybe now, after Red Cliff, Hollywood will just allow him to do his thing.
Rating: 
