Because
Red Cliff really is one film split in
two, there’s no real mileage for me in picking a favorite between them. Since Part 1 has more exposition to deal
with, Part 2 can hit the ground running a lot more quickly, and since it has
the final battle, some of the action is even more epic here. Really, though, this functions equally as a
satisfying viewing experience and the
second half of a single story. Not sure
how the two parts can so well-contained and simultaneously so cohesive, but
they pull it off amazingly (a few Part 1 spoilers, by necessity.)
After
the coalition army defeats Cao Cao’s larger and better-equipped forces in the
first bout of the war, the Prime Minister proves he can fight smart as well
(albeit much more underhandedly.) The
allied army takes a serious hit thanks to his machinations, and the alliance
itself is in jeopardy. Zhou Yu and
Zhu-ge Liang fight to keep their army afloat, using creative tactics to
destabilize elements of the imperial army and get the resources they’re going
to need for the big confrontation. It
all comes down to an epic land-and-sea smackdown in which the fate of China
hangs on the delicate variables that can tip the scale one way or the other.
As in
Part 1, I love watching Zhou Yu and Zhu-ge Liang’s war tactics. These guys are so brilliant, so resourceful,
and so intuitive; Zhu-ge Liang’s plan to get 100,000 arrows is an absolute
highlight of the film. While the two
strategists are the biggest players for much of the proceedings, they’re not
the only ones getting in on the fun. In
particular, the princess Sun Shang Xiang gets to contribute in a major way
that’s totally awesome. Even Zhou Yu’s
wife Xiao Qiao, who is mostly noble/beautiful window-dressing in Part 1 (in
addition to this close to being a
Chinese Helen of Troy,) is able to help affect the outcome.
Although
the final battle feels like it’s a long time coming – not that I have any
complaints about the strategizing and character stuff in the first half of the
film, but action fans might get antsy waiting for the big fight – it’s definitely
worth the wait. You can feel the weight
of this monumental clash. The suspense
is taut, the standout moments are fantastic, and despite the fact that much of
it takes place at night, the visibility is still great; nice, clean action
beautifully shot. The fight through all
the hanging curtains is really cool, and man, are those shield bearers worth
their weight in gold. And while it’s
this enormous battle with even bigger stakes, it still, fittingly, comes down to
a personal face-off between Zhou Yu and Cao Cao, with some excellent assists
from the other characters.
I know
I already geeked out over the acting in my review for Part 1, but I have one
more actor I want to mention: Fengyi
Zhang as Prime Minister Cao Cao. He’s
just such a great villain, totally unbalanced and yet frighteningly adept. As even his own generals start to get freaked
out by him, he had me saying, “What a bastard,” more than once. Arrogant, diabolical, cold-blooded
mastermind, and totally slimy. Well
done, Zhang!
Warnings
War
violence.
No comments:
Post a Comment