Red Cliff

Red Cliff

It's big, entertaining, and the only game in town. Red Cliff is your 2008 Chinese summer blockbuster of choice, whether you like it or not - after all, there really isn't much else in Chinese cinemas this summer. John Woo's adaptation of the classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms - which is available in novel, TV drama, video game, and unlicensed collectible variations - isn't as compelling as it is merely large. Woo slants the source material towards his pet themes, front-loads the production with big stars and big names, and assembles a spectacle that's respectable, involving, and absolutely worth a look. What the film doesn't provide is the compelling emotion that has punctuated many a Woo production, and the film's climax doesn't serve up the "wow" factor that one expects of a film of this scale. But any disappointment could be premature; Red Cliff is only the first of two films, and Woo could be saving the best for last. One would hope, anyway. But first, the answer to the million dollar question: yes, this film does have pigeons. Woo's trademark white birds are present and accounted for, appearing in a couple of scenes, including one very pivotal shot near the end of the picture. The birds never seem gratuitous (unlike in some other Woo works) and will only prove distracting to snarky Woo-familiar audiences checking their watches to see when the birds finally appear. The birds don't really appear much; instead, audiences get a healthy helping of other popular Woo signifiers, namely brotherhood, honor, and that sweaty, blood-pumping bond between heterosexual men. The men in question are essayed by some very solid actors, starting with Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro, but there are women too, including Vicki Zhao Wei and, in a much-ballyhooed role, Taiwanese model Lin Chi-Ling, who plays Xiao Qiao, the supposed "most beautiful woman in China". Judging by her competition in the film, she earns that title handily. Likewise, Red Cliff's competition at...

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