Red Cliff

It still seemed hasty, balky and empty, until I learned from promo materials that Woo was editing an "action version" for Western audiences. Most of the runtime of the "western cut" consists of all kinds of fierce fights, done with complete perfectionism (what else would one expect from Woo?). When it's not a war, we get tea esotericism, which only feels unique a few times, and it certainly doesn't radiate as much inner strength as Zhang's best moments. In the action version, the natures of the characters have been lost, and the viewer is successful when he or she learns to recognize the individual protagonists in the crazy battles; it is almost impossible to penetrate inside them... only Kaneshiro's Chinese Odysseus completely conquered me. Overall, The Battle of Red Cliff reminds me of The Two Towers without The Fellowship of the Ring preceding it. Good fun, effective directing, but also no soul or a great story. I have no doubt that all this may be included in the uncut version. Unfortunately, the European cut was, more of as battle epic. (27/05/2009)

Too bad I didn't find out until after watching it that I had seen the edited version, but it was still a treat. John Woo serves up a historical epic with all that goes with it and it is definitely a cult film. The action sequences and technical aspects may not pull off as much as they did in 2009, but the planning strategy and the acting thankfully make up for it. I had fun. 80%. (31/10/2018)