Red Cliff (2008/MagNet/Magnolia Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B     Extras: C+     Film: C+

 

 

John Woo has not directed a narrative feature film since his broadly commercial Paycheck back in 2003.  Many were not happy with Woo’s Hollywood work, including many who felt it showed a slow decline in his control of his films and the character he brought to them.  Red Cliff (aka Chi bi) is a two-part film and like Paul Verhoeven going back to the Nederlands to make Black Book, the results are mixed and feel more like his attempt to do Kurosawa and other Wi-Fu flicks a few years too late than something you would expect from him.

 

Taking place in 208 A.D., this is about the conflict in what became the huge Three Kingdoms epic as the Han Dynasty would see its last days.  Of course, this is a great excuse to have lavish sets, lavish costumes, big battles and fighting sequences, but Woo’s attempt to get back to his roots here has mixed results.  While this is technically competent for the most part, it does not have his pre-Hollywood touch and the film has been criticized for not being totally accurate.

 

True or not, any changes did not help enough and the result is that this looks and feels too much like every film we have seen in this cycle over the last 10 years or so.  It is also long at 148 minutes and maybe a bit overproduced.  And to think this is the first of two films.

 

Of course, it is better than just doing a shallow commercial release, but this does not have the edge that Woo’s best work has and even seems restricted in odd ways.  It is as if Woo wants to go into new territory and cannot.  Another issue is that he and his three credited screenwriters may be showing and saying things only those aware of Chinese history would be aware of.  However, his Hollywood period haunts this work and the results are not what they could have been.  Now, you can see for yourself.

 

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image is shot in Super 35mm format and with two Directors of Photography: Yue Lu and Li Zhang.  Their styles cohere well, helping the film, more than hurting it.  Unfortunately, the transfer has softness and motion blur throughout with occasional noise and though color is consistent, this should have been sharper all around.

 

The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 in either language is the highlight of the disc with a good soundfield, good sound effects, well recorded original dialogue and slightly forward sounding English dubbing on that track.  Taro Iwashiro’s score is a plus and also sounds good here.  Neither mix ever breaks out to be a stunner, but it is not as harsh in its action scenes as other films of late.

 

Extras include storyboards, an HDNet special promoting the film, a making of featurette and interview with Woo on The Heroism & History of Red Cliff.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo