Red Cliff

"The future will be decided."

2008 2h 25m ZH

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 921

AdventureDramaHistoryActionWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance.

“The future will be decided.”

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Cast

Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Zhou Yu
Takeshi Kaneshiro
Zhu Ge Liang
Zhang Fengyi
Cao Cao
Chang Chen
Sun Quan
Zhao Wei
Sun Shang Xiang
Hu Jun
Zhao Yun
Shido Nakamura
Gan Xing
Lin Chi-ling
Xiao Qiao

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Woo
Writers: Kuo Cheng, Sheng Heyu, John Woo
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Red Cliff Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Woo, shot by Lü Yue. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Taro Iwashiro. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert A. Ferretti shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Woo directs. Lü Yue behind the camera. Taro Iwashiro scores. Robert A. Ferretti cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 3.1× over at the box office.
3Released 18 years ago.
4International production across 5 countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan.
5Part of the "Red Cliff Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by John Woo, shot by Lü Yue. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Taro Iwashiro. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Robert A. Ferretti shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro and Zhang Fengyi carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "The future will be decided.".
11IMDB entry: tt0425637 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 11 themes, including "martial arts", "china", "flaming arrow", "strategy".
13Released under 26 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lü Yue
Original score: Taro Iwashiro
Editing: Robert A. Ferretti
Stunt coordinator: Corey Yuen
Runtime: 145 min · 2h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $80,341,000
Box office: $250,100,000
Return: 311% of budget
Original language: ZH
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Red Cliff (2008)

Part of

Red Cliff Collection

Red Cliff is a Chinese epic war film based on the Battles of Red Cliff (208–209 AD) and the events at the end of the Han Dynasty and immediately prior to the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China.