Asian epic: John Woo’s stunning, uncut ‘Red Cliff’ gets American premiere at DFT

A huge mega-hit in Asia and reportedly the most expensive Asian film production of all time, action director John Woo’s Red Cliff is a war epic previously seen in this country only in an abridged version trimmed to half of its original running time. If it was seen at all. The Detroit Institute of Art’s Detroit Film Theatre presents the American premiere of the complete five-hour director’s cut. It’s in Mandarin with English subtitles, a whopping 271 minutes with an intermission.

For Red Cliff, Woo (The Killer) and international superstar Tony Leung reunite for the first time since the 1992 action classic Hard Boiled. The historical drama is based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that marked the end of the Han Dynasty. It tells the story of a power hungry leader who mounts a massive war to crush two opposing warlords who stand in his way. Red Cliff uses its immense cinematic canvas to illustrate a battle that changed the face of China forever.

The film screens over the next two weekends: This Friday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. And
Friday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Jan 24, 2 p.m.

The Detroit Film Theatre is at the DIA, 5200 Woodward Avenue, in Detroit’s Midtown. Access the theatre through the John R entrance. For tickets and more info go here.