This is the first part in the massively epic double feature directed by the legendary John Woo. Known for his talent to make great action movies, this is no exception. The number of people involved in making the battle scenes is stunning and the movie feels indeed very epic.
Learning history from a part of the world I know nothing about is very interesting. As far as I understood the story is based on real events that took place in ancient China. There are records dating only 100 years after the events of the movie known as the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms". The story itself is interesting enough and has the classic elements of old battles and heroes.
Bringing something like this to life is not an easy task, but John Woo does what he does best and it works. The directing is flawless and amazing. Large sweeping camera angles really bring the battles to life. There are some amazing shots of Chinas nature as well, the scene with the tiger comes to mind. The music is of course also spot on with oriental music in different variations depending on the part of the movie.
The only thing that brings this movie down is the length. At over 2 hours to only tell half the story it feels a bit long and some parts of the movie drag out just a little to much. Still, Red Cliff is a great historical tale and it is wonderfully brought to life with modern special effects, great acting and amazing camerawork. 8/10