Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Red Cliff: Part I Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 4, 2008

Arguably one of the most influential Asian directors from the last fifteen years whose adrenalin-infused action films inspired cohorts of dedicated fans, John Woo is back in familiar waters with "Red Cliff" (2008). Ambitious and very expensive, the film teams up some of the hottest names in Asian cinema - Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung, Chen Chang, Wei Zhao - in what apparently is the first installment in a two-leg epic tale about friendship and valor.

The last days of the Han Dynasty. General Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) has gathered a massive 800 000 army in the wealthy North. He is planning to oust the leaders of the smaller Shu and Wu states in the South where the will of the weak Emperor is apparently questioned. Realizing that the Shu state will not be able to withstand a possible attack by Cao Cao’s troops Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a military strategist and naturalist, asks the leader of the Wu state, Sun Quan (Chen Chang), to join forces with Shu. Sun Quan agrees and the armies of Shu and Wu gather at the strategic Red Cliff on the Yangtze River. Displeased by the news that the two Southern states have joined forces General Cao Cao orders his army to attack Red Cliff.

For better or worse, the action in Red Cliff is overwhelming

After reaching a cult status in his native Hong Kong during the early 80s action guru John Woo came to Hollywood. More or less the plan was to popularize his flashy style amongst Western viewers while adding a brand new vibe to his work with a distinctively global appeal. Big name actors (John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Christian Slater, and Tom Cruise) were to assure that success would arrive quickly.

But it wasn’t meant to be. Despite of a strong studio backing Face-Off (1997) and Mission Impossible II (2000) proved to be John Woo’s only big hits and did little to maintain his cult image after a string of disappointing projects that followed up – Windtalkers (2002), Paycheck (2003), The Robinsons-Lost in Space (2004), etc. It was time for a change.

Red Cliff, a massive project based on a true story, marks John Woo’s return to what many believe is his forte – flashy, action-infused, cinema done with a touch of excess. The film recreates an important part of China’s history where the kingdoms of the South clashed with the North in a much overdramatized by writers, video-game developers, and as of late film producers battle for superiority. Stylishly embellished and carefully lensed Red Cliff also creates the impression of being a project meant to challenge some of the best entries others have introduced to the genre it belongs to (Tsui Hark’s Once Upon a Time in China; Zhang Yimou’s Hero).

As expected Red Cliff boasts a distinctively epic atmosphere where multiple characters are involved in multiple substories. Romance, action, and drama are blended into a mesmerizing panorama of visuals many, especially fans of the genre, will find difficult to resist. The terrifically staged battle scenes for example certainly overshadow a great deal of what has been achieved by other HK directors and I feel that Red Cliff could well be what rekindles John Woo’s hurt career.

Structurally, however, Red Cliff is likely to present a few issues for Western audiences. The incredibly rich story relies on a number of characters that obviously play an important part in putting all of the scattered pieces of the script together. There are hidden feuds, unspoken arguments, and partially revealed historic “truths” that require one to pay very close attention if one is to fully appreciate what John Woo and team have delivered. So, be warned, Red Cliff is more than a glitzy action-extravaganza with easy to see through protagonists.

Finally, it would not be fare if I did not make it clear that the film does reveal some major flaws as well. As mentioned earlier the story is so far reaching that occasionally it feels painfully protracted effectively disrupting the comfortable pacing introduced during the opening twenty or so minutes. The large battle scenes (keep in mind that the second installment of Red Cliff is where the much hyped clash is to occur) are also notably overdone and as the story progresses seem to affect one’s ability to fully understand the key players and their thought processes.

Red Cliff: Part I Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Hong Kong distribs Mei Ah Entertainment. We should have had this disc covered for Blu-ray.com a bit earlier but apparently there was such a great demand for the title in Asia that many distributors struggled greatly to fulfill their orders. Well, there is a good reason why! I spent the last 48 hours watching Red Cliff (it runs close to 150 minutes) and suffice to there is a lot to like here. Let's move on the video description.

First of all the print provided by Mei Ah Entertainment is absolutely spotless. It is fresh, sharp, and undoubtedly terrific looking. The color scheme, an incredibly important ingredient, is very convincing – from the predominant yellow-tint during some of the large battle scenes, to the magnificent nature shots where greens and blues are prevalent, to some of the more intriguing yet delicate to capture night scenes. Second, detail is equally impressive. Red Cliff is a very panoramic film with massive combat scenes where a great deal of CGIs are used and indeed the producers of this disc have made sure that everything is handled with utmost precision. Some of the intimate scenes on the other hand are just as astounding as they allow one to uncover a range of facial expressions (really, some very tiny details) I am unsure the SDVD release is capable of reproducing. Third, Red Cliff is a film that sustains that marquee "popping look" new releases retain on Blu-ray when they are done right. And here everything looks very well allowing one to fully appreciate John Woo's vision.

This being said, I am also pleased to state that Mei Ah Entertainment's Blu-ray transfer does not reveal any disturbing external manipulations. DNR is not an issue here and overall the transfer looks very natural. I was certainly not displeased with how Red Cliff looked on my system and in fact found myself quite a bit fascinated by the combat scenes. Indeed, this is probably as good as the film can look in high-definition so if you should have any interest in it go for it – Red Cliff looks spot-on!!

(Note:This Blu-ray contains a few protective watermarks that appear in the upper left corner, outside of the framed image, for a total of approximately two seconds per pop-up. I was not disturbed by them at all but understand that some viewers find their presence to be problematic. Suffice to say Mei Ah Entertainment have been made aware of the issue and their future releases will omit any such protective labeling).

Red Cliff: Part I Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

It is difficult not to be impressed by what Mei Ah Entertainment have delivered in the audio department. And I think that anyone who acquires this disc will instantly agree with me. Covering the full spectrum of HD codecs Blu-ray has been utilizing thus far Red Cliff arrives with Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Mandarin: LPCM 7.1, and Mandarin: Dolby TrueHD 7.1. So, pick your poison! This disc delivers and it does so with a bang. No matter what your personal preference is when it comes to high-definition audio Mei Ah Entertainment have made sure that you will not be disappointed. I personally opted for the DTS-HA Master audio but did experiment with the other two tracks as well. To make a long story short Red Cliff sounds mighty impressive! Even if you are not a fan of the genre John Woo champions, and I am certainly not one, it is hard not to be appreciative of what the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track does to this film. Loud and gut-punching bass is blended expertly with the active surrounds during the key battle scenes where the sound of clashing swords, galloping horses, and soldiers fighting each other is pretty impressive. The audio mixers for this disc must have spent a great deal of time making sure that everything is optimized to perfection, as I really could not find a single bit to complain about. On the more subtle side of things, the epic score - a feature that has a very prominent role in this film - comes off the speakers filling your room with energy. All of the surrounds are actively used and, yes, Red Cliff will test your system. Finally, the dialog is crystal clear, very easy to follow and without any issues that I need to report. Optional English, simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese subtitles are provided.

Red Cliff: Part I Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from the original theatrical trailer and a photo gallery there is a collection of interviews here with members of the cast which unfortunately I cannot describe to you as these are not subtitled in English. Furthermore, there is footage from the Beijing and Hong Kong press conferences following the film's premiere but once again these are not subtitled in English. Finally, Finally, there is a second feature from the Hong Kong premiere of Red Cliff where additional footage is provided. Once again, this special feature isn't subtitled in English.

Red Cliff: Part I Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A genre-picture with a specific look and feel that many would argue is where John Woo is at his best Red Cliff has been given a Blu-ray treatment that is nothing short of perfect. If this is the type of cinema you enjoy then you are in for a great, great treat. Admittedly the action-extravaganza mixed with distinctive epic overtones Red Cliff harbors isn't my cup of tea but I would be lying to you if I did not admit that the combat scenes did not have my attention. There is some great camera work here and given the specific genre the film belongs to Red Cliff certainly gets most everything right. The sequel should be something else! Highly Recommended.