blu-ray: Red Cliff

Movie: Red Cliff

I'd long heard of this John Woo movie, but not thought that it would be very good. It was only the offer to borrow the Blu-ray discs, and a rare consecutive free nights solo that meant I could take in both discs of this extravaganza. At 286 mins, it's worth trying to split it up into two viewing sessions: the two discs make for a natural break. Woo has his trademark style on offer - there's a lot of doves flying around, and even a (swords, and bow-and-arrow) Mexican stand-off!

It's a Chinese historical epic, set in the 3rd century AD: there's political drama, war action, western-style dialog, wire martial arts, and even a little bit of a romantic sub-plot. Visually excellent, moments of humour, great action sequences - it's a great movie, and well worth a look.