I don't know where to begin with this movie, there is a lot of content. I have heard criticisms of the shortened "western" version, but truthfully in the fully cut, some scenes just seem to go on and on. The initial "skirmish" With Cao Cao's 2000 troops seems to last an hour between prep, setup and the actual battle scene. I was definitely wishing the movie would get on with it (even during the action sequences). To compound matters, areas like this battle scene weren't really important for anything. You just spent an hour setting the stage for this battle, the action gets boring, but then all it amounts to is "the guy was testing us". Really? Is this the best use of screen time? Also, as an American with a cursory knowledge of Chinese culture, there is only so much philosophy I can take. It's not the philosophy itself, but it's laid on so thick and obvious as to be elementary. Perhaps it's the translation or the subtitles but if I'm on the outside looking in and feel like I'm being talked down to, how must a native Chinese feel? There was nothing ground-breaking, thought-provoking, or otherwise enticing about the moral codes, philosophical quotations or musing. Many of the scenes felt forced and a little wooden despite solid character performances.
Also, I'm not a big John Woo fan. I've tried to get into previous films like "The Killer", "Paycheck" and others. You get the director trademarks in a setting that isn't entirely familiar which is neat to see, but like other films, it just seems contrived and dated. Many of the dialog scenes are forced. The action goes on too long and frankly doesn't show much originality. By the time you get to the end, the face-off (face-offs?) between protagonist and antagonist are extremely anti-climactic.
Tony Leung is just a little too unemotional. I don't generate any feelings for his character. I get that his portrayal as such may be intentional, but frankly it just makes his character a little dull and one-dimensional. It also takes away from his philosophical musings and insightful strategic maneuvers because I just don't care. Kaneshiro is acceptable as his character, but truthfully he needed more development. Ironic as he probably has the most individual screen time. He just stands around with a weird smirk and looks like he has to fart whenever he is about to say something. Cao Cao was probably my favorite individual character, but again, the focus on his character was wrong. You don't see his motivations and thought processes for the most part, just his evil acts. It's a strange contrast between the protagonists who are constantly stressing strategy and unity. The female characters all start with potential but also dither into stereotypes and roles that have been done before, which is too bad because I felt that their portrayals were more convincing than the male leads who maintain most of the plot's focus.
As a whole the movie is entertaining enough to get you through it's runtime without feeling too rundown. However, for a movie closer to 5 hours than 4 (but only just) it seems like it can never decide what it wants to be. As such it either needs to be longer (ouch) to develop its roles further, or shorter to cut out a lot of fluff. This isn't a wire-fu movie, the action is tame and there's nothing really new here in any facet. Woo fans may be glad to see him back in action, but if this movie isn't screaming at you to watch it, you're probably better off spending your time with something else.
Also, I'm not a big John Woo fan. I've tried to get into previous films like "The Killer", "Paycheck" and others. You get the director trademarks in a setting that isn't entirely familiar which is neat to see, but like other films, it just seems contrived and dated. Many of the dialog scenes are forced. The action goes on too long and frankly doesn't show much originality. By the time you get to the end, the face-off (face-offs?) between protagonist and antagonist are extremely anti-climactic.
Tony Leung is just a little too unemotional. I don't generate any feelings for his character. I get that his portrayal as such may be intentional, but frankly it just makes his character a little dull and one-dimensional. It also takes away from his philosophical musings and insightful strategic maneuvers because I just don't care. Kaneshiro is acceptable as his character, but truthfully he needed more development. Ironic as he probably has the most individual screen time. He just stands around with a weird smirk and looks like he has to fart whenever he is about to say something. Cao Cao was probably my favorite individual character, but again, the focus on his character was wrong. You don't see his motivations and thought processes for the most part, just his evil acts. It's a strange contrast between the protagonists who are constantly stressing strategy and unity. The female characters all start with potential but also dither into stereotypes and roles that have been done before, which is too bad because I felt that their portrayals were more convincing than the male leads who maintain most of the plot's focus.
As a whole the movie is entertaining enough to get you through it's runtime without feeling too rundown. However, for a movie closer to 5 hours than 4 (but only just) it seems like it can never decide what it wants to be. As such it either needs to be longer (ouch) to develop its roles further, or shorter to cut out a lot of fluff. This isn't a wire-fu movie, the action is tame and there's nothing really new here in any facet. Woo fans may be glad to see him back in action, but if this movie isn't screaming at you to watch it, you're probably better off spending your time with something else.