7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Chinese history in the 2nd and 3rd Century, during which China split into three kingdoms following the fall of Han Dynasty, and after decades of war and peace, reunified under a new dynasty: Jin.
Starring: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, Chang Chen, Wei ZhaoAction | 100% |
Foreign | 86% |
Martial arts | 69% |
Epic | 64% |
History | 63% |
War | 61% |
Period | 49% |
Drama | 43% |
Adventure | 35% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
John Woo's epic "Red Cliff" (2008/2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Entertainment in Video. This release contains the film's 147-minute version. A longer version of the film, running at approximately 286 minutes, labeled as a Special Edition, is also being distributed by Entertainment in Video. With imposed English subtitles. Region-Free (please see our technical analysis as there are certain limitations with this disc that could potentially affect viewers residing in Region-A territories).
General Cao Cao
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Woo's Red Cliff arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Entertainment in Video. Please note that this is the international version of the film, which runs at approximately 147 min. The longer version of Red Cliff - which was released in Hong Kong some time ago, on two separate Blu-ray discs - is available in the United Kingdom as a Special Edition (see our review). The two Blu-ray releases have two very different covers.
The basics for this transfer look very similar to the ones used for parts I and II in the Special Edition of Red Cliff. Contrast is very strong, detail fantastic and clarity very impressive. Once again, compared to the Hong Kong release, the greens are slightly more prominent on this transfer. Macroblocking is not an issue of concern. I also did not detect any disturbing scratches, debris, stains, or dirt to report in this review. To sum it all up, the international version of Red Cliff looks very similar to the longer version of the film.
Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. However, before one could access its main menu, one must go through a number of forced trailers. The second trailer is problematic - it is in PAL, and will likely force many viewers in North America to get the following message on their monitors - "Can't Play Format". However, by pressing the SCAN button on the remote controls of two different Region-A players - SONY and Panasonic - I was able to get to the menu and access the main feature without a problem. I have also tested the disc on a Region-A PS3. To get to the main menu - so that you could access the film - once the first trailer (which is actually in 1080p) starts, press the green triangle button on your remote/controller and then select forward (120); the PS3 will skip over the PAL trailers and get you to the main menu. From there, one should know what to do.
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. For the record, the British distributors have provided imposed English subtitles for the main feature. They do appear inside the image frame but are slightly smaller than usual.
Even though the British distributors have not ported the three outstanding audio tracks the Hong Kong Blu-ray release has - DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, LPCM 7.1, and Dolby TrueHD 7.1 - I am every bit as impressed with their Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. It is loud, incredibly powerful and with plenty of surround activity. To my ears, the battle scenes sound just as incredible as they did on the Hong Kong Blu-ray disc. Furthermore, the dialog is equally crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.
Note: All of the supplemental features are encoded in 480/60i. Therefore, they are perfectly playable on Region-A PS3s and SAs. All special features are placed on Disc 2.
John Woo Interview - the director talks about his decision to film Red Cliff, the technical difficulties he and his crew had to overcome, as well as the film's message. The interview is in English. (16 min).
Behind the Scenes - a standard featurette focusing on the main characters in Red Cliff, many of the epic battle scenes, the true story the film is based upon, etc. In Mandarin with optional English subtitles. (21 min).
The international, cut version of John Woo's Red Cliff currently has the exact same price tag the Special Edition of the film does, which contains part I and II that were released in Hong Kong not too long ago (the Special Edition also contains two Blu-ray discs). With other words, if you have any interest in this film, get the Special Edition. Pay close attention to the different covers!
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