Co-written, produced and directed by John Woo, Red Cliff (2008) is one of the most impressive war epics to be released in the past decade. The story, set in 208 A.D., is based on the Battle of Red Cliffs and takes place at the end of the Han dynasty, just before the Three Kingdoms period in Ancient China. The sweeping and inspiring story illustrates the outcome when numbers and brutality meet against clever determination and strategy. The CGI effects, sets and costume design are utterly superb. The battle scenes are both violent and elegant. The whole production is immersive, effectively transporting the viewer back to Ancient China for 2 1/2 hours. The entire cast is amazing, including Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Zhao Wei, Hu Jun, Shido Nakamura and Lin Chi-ling is her brilliant film debut.
