Anyone out there see the first half of John Woo's epic? It looks as if us Yanks are only getting a condensed version of the film, to be released before the second half bows in Asia at Lunar New Year.

lovehkfilm.com has an entertaining review of it. It gives a pretty good idea of what to expect.

If this is going to be shown here in truncated form, I'll just as soon wait and pick up the discs when they're released in Asia. Sounds like John Woo is back!

Twitch Review

Early reviews seem to be good, I'll certainly be pleasantly surprised if this turns out to be a good movie. Surely it is way too late for the epic movie bandwagon and I don't see it as at all bankable in the states.

Most reviews seem to mention the movie 300, which doesn't bode well since that movie was pretty silly.

More troubling are these stills from ESWN (see point #25 on this page) which suggest that some of the digital animation is carbon-copied from 300.

-- Peter

300 was entertaining for one time viewing, no repeat value as far as I'm concerned (despite the eye candy) But I didn't see anything in the trailers, teasers or the promo which reminded me 300.

What I liked about Red Cliff (based on the above mentioned trailer etc.) is that the actors really look as if the characters in the book come to life. This was a book I only started to read because Tony was a part of the fim - yeah I'm a fan- and I enjoyed it very very much. (Hahahaaaa I was so suprised when I learned that my favorite character in the book, Kuan Yu, turned out to be the very same patron saint of both the police and triads)

Not that it really matters much but I think the Zhuge/Chao interaction is a bit different from the book though since the book sort of reveres Zhuge and pretty much depicts Chao Yun as a misguided, ambitious man who is out to get Zhuge (despite being on the same side). I guess Woo inserted some man love in their relationship and gave CY some respect.

Variety has its say. It looks like Japan and Korea are getting cut versions of the first part, so check the provenance of those DVDs when they come ashore. I'm looking forward to it, but I imagine the abridged US version will do the film no favor here.

Here's a link to my review:-
http://www.bcmagazine.net/hk.bcmagazine.is...9-redcliff.html

Hope it is of interest! ^_^

Yvonne, two questions arise from your review, one for you in particular, and the other for anyone who can answer it.

1) Lin Chi Ling, the Taiwanese supermodel, makes her film debut in this film as the nominal female lead. I wonder how she did. Since you make no mention of her in your review, should I assume that she had a small part or that she didn't make much of an impression?

2) You say this was John Woo's first Chinese-language film in 16 years. True, since Mandarin and Cantonese are both Chinese languages. Now, I'm assuming RED CLIFF is in Mandarin. And the John Woo films I'm familiar with were all in Cantonese. So, and this question is open to anybody, when was the last time Woo made a film in Mandarin?

Thanks.


Finally, in response to your review, I'm now rethinking whether I'd really prefer the two-part version or the shortened one-parter destined for the non-Asian market. I think I'll wait till I see it on the big screen here--in whatever version I get the opportunity to see. And if I like the shortened version--if that's what I see--enough to want to see more, I'll set about getting the 2-parter on DVD. But my expectations aren't high. Woo's strength is intense, interpersonal action on a small scale, usually involving two-to-four people. The one film he did with large-scale action that I've seen, WINDTALKERS, was, in my opinion, his worst film.

EDIT: Okay, so maybe the gun battles in BETTER TOMORROW II, THE KILLER, A BULLET IN THE HEAD and HARD-BOILED weren't so "small scale" after all. But, still, not on the scale of the epic battles in RED CLIFF.

Hello,

A comment on Lin Chi-ling. A few years back, she was an anonymous leggy model working haute couture runway shows. Then she did a spread for Taiwanese _Maxim_ and suddenly lodged herself in the Chinese male collective consciousness as the "hottest woman on Formosa." A great many haam sup lo are planning to see "Red Cliff" due to her purported nude love scene(s?) with Tony Leung. I don't know how true these rumours are--some of the haam sup lo fanboy crew were pushing me to see "Sin City" for nekkid Alba, which I don't recall seeing when I was at my sister's place in Shanghai (unless they were selling a different version in the PRC)--but if this is one of the stunts that contributes to the movie's overall box office, congratulate Woo for some canny casting.

Chi-ling's an attractive lady to be sure but I personally don't see her as a good fit for period pieces. Moreover, her breathy Marilyn Monroe-like voice is also not suitable for historical gravitas. If you need a hot gal in a bikini and stiletto heels reclining on a Ferrari hawking G3s or hi-def plasma screens, you hire Lin. If you want Three Kingdom matron, um, not so much. If you've ever caught her on TV (I think she filled in for Lil S's--Barbie Hsu's sister--variety show when S was on maternity leave), you'll see what I'm talking about. Breathy bedroom voice lounging around in Victoria's Secret is okay for interviewing lingerie models but kinda annoying for everyone else. Hope she proves the conventional wisdom wrong with this one, though.

I read that the love scene(s) were cut to avoid ratings problems (unless it ends up in Part 2, okay, wishful thinking). Lin Chiling was ripped by her hometown press for being just a 'flower vase' and reduced to near tears at a post premiere press conference.

I read that Zhao Wei got good marks for her performance.

Thank you for the review Yvonne.

Her part is, as Dennis Lee reports, but a flower vase role (as Little Tony's character's wife). Also, maybe because I'm not male, I actually don't find her all that attractive. (And yeah, the weak voice doesn't help.)

A guess: Howzabout 1976 with PRINCESS CHANG PING? Or 1984 with THE TIME YOU NEED A FRIEND, which he made during his time in Taiwan?

And you're very welcome, Elif. :)

(Hmmm..."breathy Marilyn Monroe voice"...I haven't heard one of those in a long time. This could be interesting. The hell with Tony Leung! ;) )

Well, if RED CLIFF doesn't work out for her, there's always TRANSPORTER 3. :D