Setting: Ancient China

Rating: 4 stars

Asian cinema is no longer just about low-budget kung fu movies. The two-part $80 million production of Red Cliff directed by John Woo has raised the bar as high as a dragon can fly. Inspired by the epic labyrinth of Chinese history, the Red Cliff Saga provides movie lovers with an exciting and historically detailed adventure packed with action and top-tier performances.

Starring Zhang Fengyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Tony Leung among many other fine actors, Red Cliff Part 1 begins with Prime Minister Cao Cao’s (Zhang Fengyi) plot to absorb the power of his emperor, leader of the Eastern Han dynasty. Given authority to subdue rebellious warlords, Cao Cao wages war on the idealistic Liu Bei, who is rebellious because Cao Cao is subverting the true authority of the emperor. Liu Bei is served by many elite warriors who follow him because he is the better man and more than serviced by his magnificent prowess in battle. The main hero of the story is Liu Bei’s master strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro). Zhuge’s challenge is to prevent total destruction by the superior imperial forces led by Cao Cao.

Liu Bei soon suffers a heavy defeat at the hands of Cao Cao’s imperial army, and must flee with as many civilians as he can save. Liu Bei’s kindness is revealed in his devotion to protecting people. He declares that if he cannot protect them, then he has no right to rule over them. Forced to flee, Liu Bei accepts Zhuge’s idea that they should seek an alliance with the Eastern Wu Kingdom, led by Sun Quan, who is also Cao Cao’s target.

However, Sun Quan is reluctant to ally with Liu Bei due to political pressure to preserve the peace. In peace the people prosper while they suffer in war. Sun Quan is tempted to surrender to Cao Cao and expose Liu Bei to destruction. Persisting in his mission, Zhuge seeks to convince Grand Viceroy Zhou Yu, who is Sun Quan’s greatest general. Zhou Yu is receptive to the alliance. He is also a master strategist and is drawn to the intellectual challenge of fighting against the mighty army of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

As the story progresses, it largely revolves around the emerging relationship between the two master strategists as they work together to survive Cao Cao’s attack. Many other important subplots are also developed to enrich the film.

The only major criticism I have of Red Cliff Part 1 is the ridiculous fight scene near the beginning where a general tries to save Liu Bei’s wife and baby. I realize the point was to create drama, but the general fighting with spears and swords while carrying the baby just offended any sensibilities. It would have shaken the baby to death during their frenzied battle, and I’ll never understand why the mother threw herself into a well. This goofy baby-saving scene cost the movie a star in my review, but I want to stress that everything else about the movie was masterful, thought-provoking, and highly entertaining.

Red Cliff Part 1 splendidly blends military action and close combat with a compelling script driven by politics, strategy, and ancient Chinese culture. Stunning special effects portray the massive armies of ancient China and its urban and rural landscapes. The translation to the English subtitles is very attractive. This is NOT a boring foreign movie. Red Cliff Part 1 is by far some of the best entertainment produced recently by filmmakers from any country. At two and a half hours long, Part 1 never dragged on and left me completely itching to watch Part 2, which I did the next night.