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Post by MetalBlade on Mar 18, 2010 3:12:02 GMT
I just finished watching the masterpiece of filmmaking that is Red Cliff. I've been a fan of John Woo's work since I rented Hard Boiled from the video library - again, and again, and again - but never for a moment thought he would surpass his previous masterpiece Bullet In The Head.
But in Red Cliff, Woo has crafted a period war film which I believe is quite peerless in modern cinema. I happened to watch the full 2 part 4 hour epic version, which differs from the regular cinematic release here in the UK, and was astonished to see how far he has come from the action king of Asia of the nineties. He truly has developed into a filmmaker worthy to stand aside such giants as Coppola, Leone, and even dare I say, Kurosawa, such is the scope and grandeur of this movie.
Without spoiling for those who intend to maybe watch this one day, it is a simple story of a conflict between 2 splintered factions in medieval China. But the mastery of how the tale is played out has has not been bettered since the legendary Japanese auteur's famous Samurai epic trilogy of Kagemusha, Ran, and Seven Samurai.
Really, this has to be seen to be believed. With a career best turn from Woo regular Tony Leung, and some fine support from Takeshi Kaneshiro and Chang Chen, this film, whilst cruelly ignored by the Academy, remains one of the best and most exhilerating films I've seen in about ten years. See it, or live to regret it.
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