Chi bi 2008

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Flaws and all, you can't watch a frame of it without feeling that it has been generations since Hollywood tackled anything on this scale. Read more

Mike Hale, New York Times: Mr. Woo, who can make romantic poetry out of a battle among 20 men in the confines of a teahouse, seems defeated, or at least defused, by this increase in scale. Read more

David Germain, Associated Press: What remains on screen is impressive -- grand battles, dazzling action, sumptuous sets, magnificent panoramas. What's lost in the abbreviation is the emotional element as Woo chronicles an epic clash of warriors in the 3rd century. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: Any war picture in which the heroine stalls the villain with a quiet, painstaking tea ceremony until the wind shifts direction and the good guys can firebomb the bad guys into oblivion is too ineffably Zen not to love. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Red Cliff is a legendary filmmaker's visual symphony. Read more

Tan Vinh, Seattle Times: Not a bad consolation prize, but not the complex, multilayered drama that made Red Cliff a hit in Asia. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: The film is both traditional and modern: austere in its engagement with history, and insistent in its showy action beats. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: It's almost 2 1/2 hours, and too much is corny, cramped, and vague. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Returning to his roots after a stint in Hollywood, Woo has made the most expensive film in mainland Chinese history, a pleasantly traditional picture that marks a new direction for one of the world's premier action maestros. Read more

Detroit News: The result is an awfully big and powerful movie, even in abbreviated form. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: There's plenty of vivid action to fill two and a half hours in John Woo's Chinese historical war epic Red Cliff, a rewarding change of terrain and era for the inventive Hong Kong director. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: What we're seeing isn't all that Woo intended. It's merely a strong reminder of just how good he can be. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Overlong but ambitious, Woo proves he's as good at tactical maneuvers as he is at close-quarters combat. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: Read more

Sara Vilkomerson, New York Observer: It's hard to know what we're missing from the extended cut, but this Red Cliff feels awfully complete to me. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: From landscape shots that have the serene beauty of a Han Dynasty watercolor, to its dramatic naval engagements and thundering cavalry charges, this is magnificent filmmaking, and a magnificent film. Read more

Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The compelling emotion that marks the best Woo movies is AWOL. The pacing is choppy, with most of the human moments lopped off. Is the Han emperor the good guy? Or should we cheer the rebellious opposition warlords? And what the heck is a viceroy? Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Woo has re-embraced his Chinese roots with brutal commitment. Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: It's a historical war movie with impressive sweep, strong characterizations and the kind of idiosyncratic flourishes that made Woo such an irresistible storyteller. Read more

Jason Anderson, Toronto Star: What remains is still plenty rousing, especially to moviegoers eager to see Woo regain his footing after an increasingly dismal series of outings in Hollywood. Read more

Hank Sartin, Time Out: Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Read more

Tom Huddlestone, Time Out: As old-fashioned mythic entertainment, 'Red Cliff' succeeds in solid, sometimes magnificent fashion. Read more

Christopher Orr, The New Republic: The biggest film of the year opens this week, though you may be forgiven if you haven't heard about it, as it has committed the unpardonable sin of being in Chinese. Read more

Derek Elley, Variety: Balances character, grit, spectacle and visceral action in a meaty, dramatically satisfying pie that delivers on the hype and will surprise many who felt the Hong Kong helmer progressively lost his mojo during his long years stateside. Read more

Scott Foundas, Village Voice: Watching Red Cliff feels like being in the presence of gods who have momentarily deigned to walk upon the earth. Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: The director's magnum opus. Read more