Red CliffMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 73 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 15+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

100

San Francisco Chronicle |
Anyone who enjoys stylized hyper-violence should be enthralled by this long, sweeping, murderously vivid dramatization of ancient Chinese warfare, circa A.D. 208. Read full review
90

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
The immensity encompasses such variety, subtlety and intimacy that you may find yourself yearning for more. Read full review
88

Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea
This is magnificent filmmaking, and a magnificent film. Read full review
88

Washington Post |
Red Cliff is a dichotomous beast: The computer-generated imagery that makes so much of it possible is served up in heaping, state-of-the-art portions, but the results occasionally border on the cartoonish. At the same time, Red Cliff is a classic tale that gets a classicist's treatment. Read full review
83

Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum
The spectacular battle scenes are the engorged heart of the delirious adventure. But Woo also gets maximum romantic value from Tony Leung as a war hero married to Chiling Lin as the tea-pouring beauty. Read full review
80

Variety | Derek Elley
Balances character, grit, spectacle and visceral action in a meaty, dramatically satisfying pie that delivers on the hype and will surprise many who felt the Hong Kong helmer progressively lost his mojo during his long years stateside. Read full review
70

The Hollywood Reporter |
A prelude that provides the beams and columns for the narrative framework, but with a few decisive and spot-on action spectacles, it sufficiently kindles expectations for the climactic clash in Part 2. Read full review
70

Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan
Returning to his roots after a stint in Hollywood, Woo has made the most expensive film in mainland Chinese history, a pleasantly traditional picture that marks a new direction for one of the world's premier action maestros. Read full review
70

The New York Times |
While handsome and intelligent and perfectly easy to sit through, never really approaches the visceral tug of Mr. Woo's Hong Kong hits. Read full review
63

Boston Globe | Wesley Morris
Even at 148 minutes (and viewed twice!), you still feel as if you're watching the longest coming attraction ever for a John Woo movie. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Red Cliff on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Masterful Chinese battle epic is violent but fine for teens.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that director John Woo's rousing battle epic based on Chinese history definitely has plenty of violence (spraying blood, martial arts, etc.) and other war-related themes, as well as one notable sex scene. But there are also strong messages about war being a last resort, and the story has an optimistic driving force in the form of a growing friendship between two men who serve different armies but team up to fight a greater threat. There are also two strong female characters, each of whom risks her life for the greater good. Red Cliff is similar to films like Braveheart and Gladiator, but with a more poetic, gracious spirit. Older, less sensitive teens are likely to be enthralled, as will parents. The two-part, uncut, international version is now available on home video; besides the 288-minute length, the uncut version has richer, more developed characters and more nuanced battle strategies, but a similar level of violence.

Families can talk about the movie's David-versus-Goliath theme. How did the much smaller army stand up against the much larger one? Does the movie's theme affect the impact of its violent scenes?
It's unlikely that the two strong female characters existed in earlier versions of this story. Do they add to or detract from this movie?
One of the movie's last lines is "there's no victor here." What does that mean?

The good stuff

Positive messages: Though this is a war movie with plenty of violence, it's obvious that it ultimately doesn't support war. The heroes enter into battle reluctantly and only when it's clear that there are no other options. It's also clear that the villain is in the wrong and that his victory would spell disaster. The heroes win by using their heads and hearts, rather than brute force or mindless attacks. It's a definite David-and-Goliath story, with the heroes standing up against impossible odds and finding clever, cunning ways to enter the fray.
Positive role models: Once it's established that the characters are going to war out of necessity rather than because they want to or because it looks fun, they become interesting role models. They show great respect for one another, use their knowledge and instinct to succeed, and rely on each other to make up for their own weaknesses. By teaming up against impossible odds, they become a more effective force. There are also two strong female characters, each of whom takes action and risks her life for the common good.

What to watch for

Violence: Some heavy battle violence, with spraying blood and falling horses. Characters are stabbed with lances, and a character loses a hand. The villain sends several rafts piled with typhoid-infected corpses, inflicting the heroic soldiers who try to bury the bodies. There's also plenty of martial arts-related violence, and a scene in which a tremendous fire spreads across a fleet of ships, causing untold damage and death.
Sex: One sex scene between married adults. No nudity is shown, and the scene is very soft/gentle, but it's very clearly sex. There's also some very tame flirting between two soldiers (one is a girl disguised as a boy).
Language: Not an issue.
Consumerism: Not an issue.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: In one scene, characters pour liquor on the ground in homage to their fallen comrades and also take a few sips. A character mixes some drugged tea for a villain to drink.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.