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RED CLIFFMovie Reviews
Chinese language action drama set during the decisive 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty in China. Cast:Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Vicky ZhaoDirector:John WooRelease Date:November 18, 2009DVD Release:March 23, 2010From:MagnoliaRating:RLength:2 hr 26 min
Red Cliff played in key cities to very good reviews. • Clint O'Connor wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "...both amazing and exhausting.... Seeing massive armies clashing over and over gets a little repetitive, but Woo's unrelenting, stylized film-fighting also made me laugh and shake my head with appreciation." • And Joe Morgenstern wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "...a legendary filmmaker's visual symphony." More Reviews Below...
Red Cliff Positive Reviews (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "There's plenty of vivid action to fill two and a half hours... a rewarding change of terrain and era for the inventive Hong Kong director."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 116 words, 11/20/09
David Germain, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...impressive... What's lost in the abbreviation is the emotional element as John Woo chronicles an epic clash of warriors in the 3rd century."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 11/19/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: GOOD "...while handsome and intelligent and perfectly easy to sit through, never really approaches the visceral tug of Mr. Woo's Hong Kong hits."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 11/18/09
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sprawling, awesome, confounding and sweeping... a film that's heavy on the thrilling battle sequences but somewhat lacking in dramatic fire."(See all of Richard Roeper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 11/25/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...both throwback and change of pace... it's nice to see the old master back in action, even if it's with action of a decidedly different sort."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 641 words, 11/25/09
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "So what if there are plot holes and you can't always tell who's who. Just sit back, switch your brain into neutral and enjoy the diabetes-inducing eye candy."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 211 words, 11/18/09
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...entertaining... part Saturday afternoon matinee war epic, part Xbox 360-esque role-playing strategy game, part sweeping costume drama, part signature John Woo."(See all of Christopher Borrelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 593 words, 11/25/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD "Woo's action is cluttered, his compositions have no texture, and he loves him some tacky slow motion. That said, all 148 minutes are very enjoyable."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 295 words, 11/09/09
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a historical war movie with impressive sweep, strong characterizations and the kind of idiosyncratic flourishes that made John Woo such an irresistible storyteller."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 12/04/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...a grand, old-fashioned spectacle... exudes a physical grandiosity that few movies of the past 20 years have attempted..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 778 words, 11/18/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the 'Red Cliff' we get to see clocks in at just 150 minutes - and even if you aren't familiar with the longer version, the editing is jarringly obvious."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 12/03/09
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
John Anderson, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...nobody brings the heat like John Woo.... a triumphant return for Woo, who can still show the fantasy/action boys how it's done."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 617 words, 11/25/09
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...anyone who enjoys stylized hyper-violence should be enthralled by this long, sweeping, murderously vivid dramatization of ancient Chinese warfare, circa A.D. 208."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 361 words, 11/25/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The very epicness of the film is an entertainment. It's a siege picture set in ancient China, and it's old-fashioned and newfangled at the same time."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 11/25/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...you come away from the film with powerful visual memories, but a void where the passion ought to go.... it leaves you with that hollow summer blockbuster feeling."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 487 words, 11/25/09
Tan Vinh, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...so heavily edited that the character development, subplots, love story, the historical significance of the battle and Woo's themes of male bonding and honor got lost."(See all of Tan Vinh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 378 words, 11/25/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: EXCELLENT(cg) "...amazing and exhausting.... a little repetitive, but Woo's unrelenting, stylized film-fighting also made me laugh and shake my head with appreciation."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 12/11/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...robust... incorporates various Woo-isms into a meat-and-potatoes wartime drama filled with elaborate costumes and palaces and displays of ancient military techniques."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 11/25/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Detached from a real rooting interest... We are reminded: War is hell. But at their best, war movies can be cool and beautiful."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 309 words, 12/11/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a sprawling historical epic with a cast of thousands, and bloody battles so elaborate and graphically presented that viewers may demand combat pay."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 12/10/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's no great surprise that the master of the modern movie gun fight should have a gift for the choreography of war.... brilliantly gives huge battles a human scale..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 12/11/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...occasionally suffers a bit in the area of characterizations but otherwise feels complete and hugely satisfying.... sensational entertainment..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 460 words, 12/31/09
Cary Darling, Sacramento Bee: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...contemplative yet still visually ravishing and violent... catches its breath once in awhile to tell a story and is all the better for it..."(See all of Cary Darling's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 382 words, 11/25/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...a grand, old-fashioned spectacle... exudes a physical grandiosity that few movies of the past 20 years have attempted..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 778 words, 11/18/09
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...far too many title cards introducing the major players replace quiet, character-building moments, putting the focus squarely on the action. But what action!"(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 157 words, 11/26/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the 'Red Cliff' we get to see clocks in at just 150 minutes - and even if you aren't familiar with the longer version, the editing is jarringly obvious."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 12/03/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: GOOD "...while handsome and intelligent and perfectly easy to sit through, never really approaches the visceral tug of Mr. Woo's Hong Kong hits."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 11/18/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...the immensity encompasses such variety, subtlety and intimacy that you may find yourself yearning for more.... a legendary filmmaker's visual symphony."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 11/20/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...both throwback and change of pace... it's nice to see the old master back in action, even if it's with action of a decidedly different sort."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 641 words, 11/25/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Derek Elley, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "...the most expensive Chinese-language picture ever... balances character, grit, spectacle and visceral action in a meaty, dramatically satisfying pie that delivers..."(See all of Derek Elley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,172 words, 07/20/08
Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...hardcore disciples of John Woo's Hong Kong oeuvre will be straining hard to find the all-stops-out passion and sinewy machismo that ignited his bullet ballets..."(See all of Maggie Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 630 words, 07/11/08
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...both throwback and change of pace... it's nice to see the old master back in action, even if it's with action of a decidedly different sort."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 641 words, 11/25/09
Mike Hale, New York Times: GOOD "...while handsome and intelligent and perfectly easy to sit through, never really approaches the visceral tug of Mr. Woo's Hong Kong hits."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 11/18/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...the immensity encompasses such variety, subtlety and intimacy that you may find yourself yearning for more.... a legendary filmmaker's visual symphony."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 11/20/09
15.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Red Cliff's reviews are separated by an average 15.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Red Cliff (32 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Red Cliff's reviews cover 41.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,879 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 465 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Red Cliff Coverage, Volume & Length (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 51.2 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Red Cliff's reviews on average broke 51.2 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Red Cliff's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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