9. Red Cliff
The Film: As a whole, this movie is entertaining enough to get you through its run-time without feeling too run down. However, for a movie that lasts about five hours, it seems like it can’t decide what it wants to be. As such it either needs to be longer (ouch!) to develop its story better, or shorter to cut out a lot of fluff. The fight sequences are pure spectacle though, with old-school wire work combined with technological wizardry to showcase some large-scale battle sequences at a macro level, or to highlight the immense naval numbers that Cao Cao brings to battle.
Formations and strategies take center stage in a first major confrontation on land, where one gets to see John Woo’s interpretation of Zhuge Liang’s “ba-gua” (8 stratagems) strategy, made more entertaining through the continuation of what we have already seen in each general’s fighting ability, each given a unique style befitting the characters in folklore, such as Guan Yu and his Guan Dao (Green Dragon Crescent Blade) and Zhao Yun (Hu Jun) and his spear. I can’t help it but mention, however, that the film also features some annoying cartoon music, which seemed to be oddly misplaced in intense combat scenes. Why Mr. Woo?
The Historical Events: The film is based on the Battle of Red Cliffs (AD 208-209) and the events at the end of the Han dynasty and immediately prior to the Three Kingdoms period in imperial China. Also known as the Battle of Chibi, this was a defining battle fought in the winter of 208/9 between the united forces of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan and the vastly superior (numerically) forces of the northern warlord Cao Cao. Liu Bei and Sun Quan successfully ruined Cao Cao’s attempt to invade the land south of the Yangtze River and reunite the territory of the Eastern Han dynasty.
The allied victory at Red Cliffs ensured the survival of Liu Bei and Sun Quan, gave them control of the Yangtze and provided a line of defense that was the basis for the later creation of the two southern states of Shu Han and Eastern Wu. The battle has been called the largest naval battle in history in terms of numbers involved. Descriptions of the battle vary greatly, and the location of the battle is also challenged by many historians. Although its precise location remains unknown, most scholars agree that it was on the south bank of the Yangtze River.