Hero Hero
Feb
01
2008

First Trailer For John Woo’s BATTLE OF RED CLIFF Arrives!

Posted by Todd Brown at 4:52pm.

Posted in Trailer Alerts , Drama, Action, Asia.

Has there been a film more anticipated by Asian film fans over the past five years?  John Woo’s Hollywood sojourn started reasonably well, the Hong Kong icon being one of very few HK film makers to do anything but straight to video junk after arriving on these shores and, even moreso, for a while there he appeared on the verge of breaking into Hollywood’s a-list.  But then the much hyped Windtalkers flopped miserably and Paycheck was just plain bad, and before long Woo became a bit of a punchline for announcing stacks of projects that never went much of anywhere.  Hollywood had obviously gone a little sour for Woo.

And so word that he was returning to China for his next film had fans excited.  Word that he was making a very well budgeted - the most expensive production in Chinese history, by some reports - historical epic ratcheted the excitement up a little higher.  And then word that Chow Yun Fat was to star sent people into a tizzy.  Sure, Chow’s now out after a rapid fire on-again, off-again dance but it’s still got Tony Leung in the lead and everything to release so far from the film oozes quality.

The film is Battle of Red Cliff and the first trailer has just arrived.  Video quality is disappointingly low - why on earth would anyone release something like this in such a poor format? - but what you can see looks absolutely fantastic.  You’ll find it below the break in the Twitch Player.

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Reader Comments

  1. The Visitor 02/01/2008 @ 5:46pm

    WOW!!!

  2. ChevalierAguila 02/01/2008 @ 6:40pm

    Ok, that looks good, with everything and the over-use of slow mo. But what’s the deal with that dove at the end? Yeah i know, Woo like’s to use them, but was that necessary?

    Anyway, can’t wait to see this.

  3. The Visitor 02/01/2008 @ 6:49pm

    i think the dove is just John Woo’s company logo/signature, and not in the film.

  4. Swarez 02/01/2008 @ 7:07pm

    Ha ha. Love the dove in the end. Looks like he finally got the joke...I hope.

  5. The Visitor 02/01/2008 @ 7:22pm

    oh trust me, he knows. i spoke to him about three years ago, and asked if he realised the potential self-parody with the doves and stuff, and he said yes, he wouldn’t do it again if he could help it.

  6. crazybee 02/01/2008 @ 7:40pm

    Hot damn!  That looks splendid!

  7. sarkoffagus 02/02/2008 @ 9:06am

    Vicki Zhao Wei *sigh*… Was that Vicki in the pseudo-topless scene? Not to sound like a sexist pig, but I sure hope it was.

  8. The Visitor 02/02/2008 @ 9:23am

    i think that’s the model Lin Chi-ling in the love scene.

  9. Kurt Halfyard 02/02/2008 @ 11:29am

    Yep.  The dove made me smile.  Nice.

  10. Momo the Cow 02/02/2008 @ 1:52pm

    Woo’s operatic sensibilities and taste for melodrama always struck me as well suited to wuxia flicks. I think he started off making some minor costume epics in the beginning, but either way it’ll be fun to see him work within a genre where hyperbole is the norm.

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