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Since its 2008 release in South Korea, John Woo‘s amazing epic film Chi bi a.k.a. Battle of Red Cliffs or Red Cliff has been available in damn near every country except the United States. The movie will finally reach American audiences on November 20! The trailer above is absolutely breathtaking… this is going to be a must-see!
As John Woo‘s first Chinese movie since 1992, Red Cliff was filmed in the Mandarin language, and over 100,000 real Chinese soldiers appear as extras. Due to the complexity of character plotlines, the 80-million-dollar movie was originally made as two parts (Chi bi and Chi bi xia) for Asian audiences, but has been condensed to one part in the U.S. version. Â The first part of the movie alone grossed over $124 million in Asia and knocked out Titanic as their top box office flick in China.
The story follows the end of the Han Dynasty, just before the period known as Three Kingdoms, and John Woo referenced the historical record Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms in his writing. The cast is comprised of mostly Chinese movie stars, with a few newcomers.
Rumor has it that award-winning actor Ken Watanabe (Batman Begins, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Last Samurai) was originally cast in the role of  Cao Cao, however Chinese fans pitched a fit because he is Japanese and it wouldn’t have been right for him to play such a historical Chinese figure. The role was ultimately given to veteran Chinese actor Fengyi Zhang.
Woo‘s career has spanned over four decades of film making as a writer, director, producer and actor, and he’s brought his creative touch to American thrillers like Face/Off, Paycheck, Hostage and Mission Impossible II.
By: Dove ~Sheepish Lordess of Chaos~
