Red Cliff (2008-2009)
Red Cliff is an epic war film produced by an international co-production in 2008-2009, based on the Battle of Red Cliffs (208-209 AD) and the events of the end of the Han Dynasty and just before the Three Kingdoms period in Imperial China. The film was directed by John Woo and stars Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Zhao Wei, Hu Jun and Lin Chi-ling. This is Wu’s first major film since 2003’s Payback and his first Chinese-language feature film since 1992’s Hard Boiled, also starring Leung. In China and most of Asia, Red Cliff was released in two parts totaling over four hours (288 minutes).
The first part (146 minutes) premiered in Beijing on July 2, 2008, while the second (142 minutes) was released in China on January 7, 2009. Outside of Asia, a stripped-down 148-minute version of the single was released in 2009. The two-part version was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on October 5, 2009 and in the US and Canada on March 23, 2010.
The first installment of the film grossed over US$127 million at the box office and broke the Chinese box office record previously held by Titanic in mainland China. With budget $80 million film grossed worldwide $250 million.
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Plot: Part 1
In the summer of 208 A.D., towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, the Chancellor, Cao Cao, leads the imperial army on a campaign to eliminate the southern warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei, whom he denounces as “rebels”. Emperor Xian reluctantly approves the campaign. Cao Cao’s mighty army swiftly conquers Jing Province. The Battle of Changban is ignited when Cao Cao’s cavalry starts attacking civilians on an exodus led by Liu Bei. During the battle, Liu Bei’s followers, including his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, give an excellent display of their combat skills by holding off the enemy while buying time for the civilians to retreat. The warrior Zhao Yun fights bravely to rescue Liu Bei’s entrapped family but only succeeds in rescuing Liu’s infant son.
Part II
Sun Shangxiang has infiltrated Cao Cao’s camp and is secretly noting its details and sending them via a pigeon to Zhuge Liang. Meanwhile, Cao Cao’s army is seized with a plague of typhoid fever that kills a number of his troops. Cao Cao orders the corpses to be sent on floating rafts to the allies’ camp, in the hope of spreading the plague to his enemies. The allied army’s morale is affected when some unsuspecting soldiers let the plague in. Eventually, a disheartened Liu Bei leaves with his forces while Zhuge Liang stays behind to assist Sun Quan. Cao Cao is overjoyed when he hears that the alliance has collapsed. At the same time, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun propose a new tactic of interlocking the battleships with iron beams to minimise rocking when sailing on the river and reduce the chances of the troops falling seasick.