The trailer for the Chinese period piece war epic Red Cliff trumpets it as the new film from "legendary director John Woo." Even as a fan of Mr. Woo's work, that's a pretty bold statement. The man has made some extraordinarily entertaining films and certainly put his personal stamp on the action genre, but "legendary" seems like a bit of carnival barking. It makes sense as a marketing gimmick, because Red Cliff is John Woo's shameless, aggressive and, at times, exhilarating attempt to achieve that icon status.
The film takes place during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. Not being a scholar in said subject, I'm aware of nothing much outside of it basically occurring between the Han and Jin dynasties. If you, too, aren't much of a Chinese history scholar, the American cut of Red Cliff certainly isn't going to help make things much clearer. 
Basically there are three main kingdoms to rise out of the ashes of the Han dynasty: the Wei, Wu, and Shu. The Wei were to the North, and were by far the most powerful. Led by Chancellor Cao Cao, the Wei began to conquer surrounding territories in an attempt to re-unify China. The Wu and Shu, too small to resist on their own, drew together for an epic showdown with the Wei at the Red Cliffs, a stronghold of the Shu.
Originally Red Cliff was two films, nearly doubling the running time of the American version. Seeing as how this is a John Woo movie being sold to American audiences, what would you guess got cut out — the character work and quieter scenes which explicate the motivations and dynamics of the struggle, or the gigantic, kick-ass battle scenes? Honestly, I suppose I can't say what got cut out as I haven't seen the original version, but in the version screening at my local cinema I certainly got to see a whole lot of violence and mayhem but can only tell you the vaguest whiffs of what all of that may have meant.
Which is not to say that the American version of Red Cliff is a lost cause, or simply a dumb actioner. If anything, it is shaven down to become a showcase for what makes Mr. Woo an extraordinarily adept filmmaker. Mr. Woo has been labeled a purveyor of "operatic violence," which, if taken as a compliment at all, can be seen as somewhat backhanded. Frequently violence in a movie is used the same way spices are dumped onto a crummy piece of meat - it diverts your attention from how unsatisfying and empty the meal is.
Article comments