Red Cliff (2008)

Score: 8/10

The movie basically revolves around the battle of Red Cliffs (or battle of Chibi). According to history, this battle happened around 208 A.D. during the decreasing era of the China Han dinasty. This was the most important battle of that era because this was the starting point of a three-kingdom era, which now has become a popular literature and even games (very popular in Asian countries).

The movie starts with the ambition of Prime Minister Cao Cao to unite China. Cao Cao is a powerful man, even more powerful than the emperor, and he "forces" the emperor to grant him permission to attack Liu Bei and Sun Quan, two major rulers on the southern part of China. He leads 800,000 men to attack, while the joint forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan is numbered less than 50,000.

This is only the first half of the entire movie and it acts as a kind of appetizer. I am really looking forward for the second half. For people who follow the history of China or ever play the three-kingdom games, this is a dream comes true. Definitely the best three-kingdom movie of all time. We can see great fighting sequences involving three top Liu Bei's generals, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun. Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei's advisor, and Zhou Yu, Sun Quan's commander in chief, interact nicely in the movie. Both were considered as the smartest and the best strategists in that era and they show it why. Cao Cao acts as my imagination, ruthless, ambitious, arrogant, but also calculating and confident.

Some moments in the movie feels too strech-out, which some may think that it needs to be cut in the editing room. However, it never crossed the boring line for me. John Woo manages to keep everything interesting and I was enjoying every moment. All actors resemble the historical characters perfectly. Liu Bei is a bit disappointing since he does nothing in the movie, but others are satisfactorily portrayed. I believe people who don't familiar with Chinese history can very well enjoy the movie as well.

You can find more information about the movie and the history from the links below:
- IMDB: Chi bi.
- A popular novel about three kingdoms.
- Wikipedia: Three Kingdoms.