Red Cliff II

If the first part of the series was the set up, here is the pay off. I was disappointed at the end of the first part when big To Be Continued words filled the screen. But it was worth the wait. When it comes to Chinese epics, it gets no better than this. Mostly an incredibly long, epic battle, this second part pays off in spades. It's more exciting, smarter, and more edge of your seat. Every minute leaves you anticipating the next and the conclusion is very fitting. You almost don't want it to end, despite the huge running time. John Woo has succeeded in creating one of the grandest Asian epics ever made, and this series of films should cement him as one of the finest Asian filmmakers of all time.

I first saw the 148 mins version in 2009 on a dvd which I own.

Saw the 288 minutes version few days back.

I liked the 148 mins version but i liked the 288 mins version even more n inspite of the runtime, i never felt like fiddling with my phone. In fact, i found the film very captivating.

The film has tons of action. A true old school war with tons of bows n arrows, spears, swords, horses, ships, etc.

Apart from the battlefield action sequences, all the characters are awesomely developed, the cinematography is lovely n some of the scenes are picturesque.

There is absolutely no shaky cam or fast cut editing. One can easily make out what is going on during the war scenes. None of the scenes is shot in too much darkness.

We have a daring character Gan Ning (Nakamura Shido II) who does a stint like Steve McQueen's character from Hell is for Heroes. I love both the scenes.

The hand chopping scene, the sword slashings n the spears piercing, are all brutal.

After finishing the film, rice flour and sugar stayed on my mind. I tried the recipe on YouTube.

Some drawbacks - The initial scene with the baby on the back n running n fighting is lol n far fetched.

John Woo had already done this mistake in Hard Boiled with the baby peeing n all.

Another far fetched n lol scene in this movie is that of catching a woman in midair.

I guess i do not need to explain this part in detail. Part I has already explain much of the style and depiction of the movie. And all i could tell you is that its great. Part II starts where the 1st one left off. The 1st defeat of Cao Cao's army didn't make the PM any less confident as he is about to commence his second army to take the charge. The Navy. He's determine that he will take down Red Cliff like an iron fist. Meanwhile, Zhou Yu and company are finding ways to cripple the large naval fleet that Cao Cao has already settle in opposite side of their fort.

With characters already introduced in the 1st part, the movie didn't seem to lose the magic as it keeps surprise audience in it's story. This part starts off with the latter half focusing entirely on character development. The final half goes in for the battle. Just like part I, the battle scene still packs a huge punch at your guts with many brilliantly choreographed movements and kinetic action. The ending ends up in a very fair manner but that's up to you to decide.

Anyways, it's still as good as the 1st part. One of the best film adaptation from novels. Many should know it's basically the same thing because it was shot back to back. So what really determines how good is part 2, you'll have to watch part 1 first.

8.8 out of 10 rating.

After the fantastic first part, the second starts a little underwhelming. This film isn't quite as action packed as the first, instead building to the amazing finale. So there's about an hour and a half of each camp planning attacks and working to defeat the enemy. There are some really good parts here (especially how the rebels procure arrows) but it all pales in comparison to the massive, explosive finale. It's one of the best war scenes ever put to film and absolutely exciting.

Overall, this is a masterpiece of film and one of the best war movies of all time. It's well worth your time.

With the cast established, their motivations solidified, the stage set and the first volleys already thrown in the original, John Woo is able to just sit back, relax, and make the thoroughly indulgent epic action picture he always wanted in its sequel. Where the first film thematically leans more in the direction of theology and politics, backed by a brief taste of large-scale military maneuvers, this follow-up is a full-gale blast of battlefield planning and dramatic execution. History buffs may grimace at a few of its flashier moments, like the warrior who uses his spear to pole vault over enemy battalions, but those are rare enough to write off as passing fits of eccentricity from a director who's not always known for his realism. Besides, the real sizzle lies with the world-class, hour long battle scene that closes the picture - and the obscene amount of fascinating war maneuvers seen therein. It's the mother of all fight scenes, an intense, unrelenting thrill ride the likes of which hasn't been seen from the west in decades, if ever. And, as Woo addresses one of my biggest complaints about the first Red Cliff - the generic, evil-for-the-fun-of-it enemy commander who's admirably rounded out in a few powerful scenes - it's ultimately an even better effort than its predecessor. A thrilling, intense, large-scale classic that makes for one hell of a payoff.