U.S. release trailer for Red Cliff hits the web

Battle scene from the John Woo film Red Cliff
Battle scene from the John Woo film Red Cliff

Legendary action director John Woo and international superstar Tony Leung reunite for the first time since the 1992 cult classic Hard Boiled for the epic historical drama Red Cliff (Chi bi), based on a legendary 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. Red Cliff opens with power hungry Prime Minister-turned-General Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) seeking permission from the Han dynasty Emperor to organize a southward-bound mission designed to crush two troublesome warlords that stand in his way, Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen). As the expedition gets under way, Cao Cao’s troops rain destruction on Liu Bei’s army, forcing the latter to retreat. Liu Bei’s military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) knows that their only hope for survival is to form an alliance with rival warlord Sun Quan, and reaches out to Sun Quan’s trusted advisor, war hero Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). Vastly outnumbered by Cao Cao’s fast approaching, brutal army, the rebel warlords band together to mount a heroic campaign unrivalled in history that changes the face of China forever. Red Cliff was a massive hit in Asia and the most expensive Asian film production of all time.

Red Cliff is the third film in Magnet’s Six Shooter Film Series V2, a series of six films focused on action cinema, featuring some of the most exciting action films available today from around the globe. Red Cliff will be preceded by Ong Bak 2: The Beginning and Bronson, with three other films to follow over the coming months including District 13: Ultimatum and The Warlords.

Red Cliff will premiere on VOD, XBOX Live and Amazon (which you can watch RIGHT HERE) on October 22nd, then opens in theatres November 20, 2009.

CLICK HERE to watch the new trailer for the epic film.