2008-2009 | R | 2h 28m | Action, Adventure, Drama
John Woo is a name that is synonymous with excitement, danger and, of course, pulse-pounding action. Woo cut his teeth on many ’80s and early ’90s Hong Kong action classics such as “The Killer,” “Bullet in the Head,” and “Hard Boiled,” the latter widely considered his opus during that period and one of the greatest action films ever produced.
Director John Woo on the set of “Red Cliff.” (Beijing Film Studio)
However, when Woo set off for Hollywood (after filming “Hard Boiled”) in the hopes of making bigger waves on the international stage, he soon realized that all that glitters is not gold. In the United States, Woo’s formidable filmmaking talents were largely misunderstood and misused. Frustrated, he returned to Hong Kong to direct 2008’s “Red Cliff,” a historical epic battle during China’s Three Kingdoms period (A.D. 220–280)….