Hawaii International Film Festival 2009

After a successful stint in Hollywood, John Woo, the legendary Hong Kong action maestro (THE KILLER, FACE OFF), returns to China to helm the largest production in Chinese history, RED CLIFF. Reuniting with Tony Leung for the first time since 1992's HARD BOILED, this historical drama is based on the beloved tome ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS, chronicling a decisive battle that established the demise of the Han Dynasty.

The film opens in the year 208 A.D. -- Militaristic Prime Minister Cao Cao convinces the fickle Emperor Han that the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the West and 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, as brokered by military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro). Increasingly aware of the monumental struggle ahead, both sides commence for battle that will ultimately shape the future of an entire nation. During this epic battle, two thousand ships were burned, and tens of thousands died.

John Woo's RED CLIFF is the largest production in Chinese history. With a roster of Pan-Asia's biggest stars, this immense and risky enterprise to adapt one of China's greatest stories is fully realized in a cinematic war epic that can only be fully appreciated on the silver screen.

- Anderson Le