Red Cliff (15, 139 mins, Entertainment In Video, DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £29.99)
Stars: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung, Zhang Fengyi, Chiling Lin.
RED Cliff is the most expensive Chinese language film in history, set during the rule of the Han Dynasty in 208 AD. The scale of John Woo’s historical epic is jaw dropping, featuring a cast of thousands and more aerial shots of arrows raining down upon legions of unsuspecting victims than the entire Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Certain breathtaking sequences, like a naval fleet of 2000 ships sailing up the Yangtze River, can only be accomplished with digital trickery. The computer-generated effects don’t always pass muster but when Woo’s camera is in the midst of the meticulously choreographed hand-to-hand combat, the film is truly a feast for the eyes.
Anything For Her (15, 92 mins, Metrodome Distribution, DVD £19.99).
Stars: Vincent Lindon, Diane Kruger, Lancelot Roch
LISA (Kruger) has everything she ever wanted: a doting husband, Julien (Lindon), a good job and adorable young son, Oscar (Roch). Then she’s arrested for the brutal murder of a work colleague and sentenced to 20 years. Julien refuses to accept the verdict and concocts an elaborate plan to spring his wife from jail. The hero’s metamorphosis from mild-mannered schoolteacher to criminal mastermind strains credibility but writer-director Cavaye elicits sympathy for him and the child, while remaining ambiguous about Lisa’s supposed innocence.
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