Red Cliff II

John Woo + Tony Leung always translates to greatness. There could have been more action but it was well balanced all the same. Well directed and performed.

Remarkably effective payoff. I know this one is more action oriented but that's really where Woo shines and some of these sequences (The arrow collection, the whole final siege) are absolutely breathtaking.

Watch this and part one together for an awesome experience.

Remarkably effective payoff. I know this one is more action oriented but that's really where Woo shines and some of these sequences (The arrow collection, the whole final siege) are absolutely breathtaking.

I initially saw a great deal of this film when I first watched the US theatrical cut of Red Cliff, so if you’d like my full rundown on the overall brilliance of Red Cliff, check my first review of Red Cliff Part 1 on Letterboxd. This review will focus specifically on the 2nd chapter and how it differed from the same content in the US cut of the movie. Although, it’s worth mentioning that most of Red Cliff II is included in that theatrical cut. As a result, watching this part was still wonderful, but felt quite familiar. There were still some character things that I felt were fleshed out better in the International Cut, though. I loved seeing more of the inner discussions of the Generals and exploring how they emotionally felt about the war. There is also a greater amount of setup that leads to the payoff in the climax of the film. In other words, this was a superb movie that I adored in its abbreviated version, which was made even better in the full-length cut of the film. I love the interplay between Tony Chiu-Wai Leung’s character and the one played by Takeshi Kaneshiro. They are the wisest people on the battlefield and it shows. I loved watching them outwit the enemy forces, and continuously showing their worth in the complex battle strategy. I think what impressed me most when I watched the full 2-part saga was the amount of emotion that runs through the entire story. This kind of big sweeping war epic can easily become impersonal as random nameless soldiers are picked off one by one. But we get to see significant characters killed and the entire film ends on a down note as there are no real winners in a war with this many casualties. There’s simply no denying that Red Cliff is John Woo’s masterpiece and I adore the full film. If forced to think of the 2 parts as separate films, I’ll probably always prefer Red Cliff II because it gives the resolution of all that came before, but in my heart it’s just one long (nearly 5-hour) film.

Très bon... et qu'ils sont beaux.

I'm so grateful that James Woo quitted from Hollywood. No more Mission Impossible. Thanks for giving me one hell of a ride, that's a great way to end the romance between the three kingdom :')

I was hesitant when I heard Jon Woo had directed a "historical epic". Not only was it amazing, non-stop action, but challenging and well written. (Note: do not watch the American release - it's a combination of parts I & II with two hours of footage cut from it)

Resplendent in all its historical glory and epic battle sequences (both naval and land), this is at the end a fascinating study of battle tactics showing that it was never about brute force, but about intelligently using the terrain, weather and context. Should be watched in two parts as it was meant to be, not the heavily edited one volume amalgamation. Must view for the fans of historical epics.

The second part to John Woo's take on the historical Chinese battle of Red Cliffs. Some of the battle scenes are simply breath taking.