While we are on John Woo...
Just over a decade ago, John Woo departed to Hollywood. With all due respect to one of my favourite directors, he has made crap ever since.
The good news: Woo has just released his first Hong Kong film in Asia since leaving, which turns out to be the most expensive Asian blockbuster in history (so far) with a budget of US$80mil.
It is an action movie based on The Battle of Red Cliffs (Three Kingdoms period of ancient China -- fast becoming one of my favourite historical backdrops in movies).
It was meant to star Chow Yun Fat, but the crazy fool decided to do a contract holdout the day principal photography was due to start, and Woo quickly replaced him with Tony Leung Chiu Wai (the guy who played the undercover cop opposite Chow Yun Fat in Hard Boiled). Chow Yun Fat tried to get back in, but Woo stuck with Tony Leung.
So far, it has been received very well in Asia, now billed as the most successful movie ever in China (US$43 mil in the first month).
In Asia it's a two parter (each over 2 hours), with the second part due for release in Jan 09. However, for the Western release it will apparently be a single two and half hour epic.
Of course, there's no way I'm settling for the abbreviated version :)
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