Red Cliff: Part II

A completely different film than Part 1. Instead of mindless action, all sorts of mini-fights and visual gluttony, John Woo finally begins to tell a deeper story full of interesting characters with diverse motivations, great war tactics, while sympathetically portraying some typically Eastern traditions with a delicate visual poetics that doesn't disappoint. As a whole, however, Red Cliff is unnecessarily drawn out, repetitive and technically unbalanced at times, full of sloppy visual effects (especially at the end). John Woo accomplished the difficult task of making a Hollywood-style Asian action film, full of heroic moments and bloody battles, but he drowns in it a bit in places. (01/05/2022)

It’s better and more spectacular in every way than the first film. In place of mindless visual gluttony are emotions, feelings, humanity, wit, insight, and real characters, where the good guys and the villains don't play at being soldiers, but rather only those who pursue political interests, framed by gestures of friendship and heroism. All this culminates in the final fiery inferno, where the flaming whip cracks. Thank you, John! (07/06/2009)

The action this time practically doesn't move from the bay at Red Cliffs and most of the it deals with interesting pre-battle tactics, intrigue (I was most impressed by the cunning acquisition of 100,000 arrows) and preparations for the decisive clash. At the end, Woo literally starts a war orgy that is so megalomaniacal that my receptors couldn't keep up with the fatigue by the end. Nevertheless, I found the battle scenes in the first part more interesting, both in terms of tactical intent and the display of the combat superpowers of the main characters, which take a back seat in the second volume (which I duly regretted). (04/13/2009)

An ideal film for tea ceremony aficionados, which offers a clear answer to the eternal question of who was the greatest soccer player of all time. A little hint - he doesn’t belong to the Pelé, Garrincha, Maradona trio. Personally, I would also avoid saying that Woo is redefining terms like opulence, crowd scenes, or megalomania, because for all it’s epic-ness, it still looks like two kids playing soldiers in the backyard when compared to Bondarchuk's adaptation of “War and Peace". Still, it's a great comeback for John Woo. No doubt about that. (05/31/2009)