"Red Cliff" marks the triumphant return of director John Woo to Chinese cinema after spending over fifteen years in Hollywood crafting nearly back-to-back blockbusters (including "Mission Impossible II" & "Face/Off"). Having previously established himself as the premier auteur of testosterone-fueled action sequences with Hong Kong classics such as "The Killer" and "Hard Boiled", the task of mounting a sprawling epic such as "Red Cliff" had to prove a daunting task for even the most seasoned director. Made on an $80 million budget, the film proved wildly successful overseas, garnering strong reviews and even stronger box office profits to the tune of some $240 million. Stateside, the film had a limited theatrical release but earned excellent reviews (it currently holds an impressive 88% out of 98 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes).Much has already been written about the quality of the film itself, with most of the negative criticism either coming from the tiresome "the film can't hold a candle to the book" camp or the amusingly misguided camp (Rob Thomas of the Capital Times wrote "It's like the most complicated game of Stratego ever", strangely framing that sentence as if it's a mark against the film). Suffice it to say that if you enjoy lavish epics such as "Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan", "The Last Samurai", or "Braveheart", it naturally follows that you'll enjoy this impressive entry in the genre as well. The Blu-Ray offers a razor sharp, crystal clear image and unobtrusive, easy to read subtitles (only available in English & Spanish). The "Red Cliff" Soundtrack is also worth a look, as it's strong enough to stand on its own apart from the film.As with the "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, the general consensus is that the extended version is the 'superior' version. This isn't necessarily so, in fact, the U.S. theatrical cut of "Red Cliff" catches the high notes and broad strokes in a conveniently time-efficient, condensed version of the film. This is useful when watching with friends or family, or for the more impatient viewers only interested in the film for its celebrated battle sequences. It would be more accurate to refer to the international version as the 'preferred' version, as it naturally offers a much more well-rounded story with expanded subplots as well as more focused character development.On the first disc, Part I runs 2:25:24, and the special features include:1) "The Making of Red Cliff: The Long Road" (2:25:50) - This is a making-of feature as sprawling as the film itself, covering every facet of production and offering some great behind the scenes moments. This is also quite notably the only feature NOT presented in HD.2) "Storyboarding Red Cliff from Script to Screen with John Woo" (18:00) - This is a nice split-screen feature comparing scenes from the film to their corresponding storyboards, with director Woo's commentary. No commentary for the film itself is included.3) "HDNet: A Look at Red Cliff" (4:35) - This is a brief promotional clip, much like a bumper trailer one would see inbetween films on cable television.On the second disc, Part II runs 2:21:30, and the special features include:1) "A Conversation with John Woo: The Journey of Red Cliff" (45:34) - This is an informative interview with the director, seemingly taken from the same conversation that generated the storyboard commentary.2) A selection of 98 storyboards, navigated with the remote by the user.I have but two small complaints about the Blu-Ray release. First of all, while the ubiquitous making-of feature is nice and thorough, a feature covering the actual history behind the Red Cliff legacy would've proved much more entertaining and useful. I would've especially liked to have seen a roundtable discussion with the screenwriters describing why they altered or added certain details in the film that ran contrary to the actual historical events. Case in point, the 2-Disc DVD version of "Kingdom of Heaven" is legendary for its two comparative special features "Movie Real: Kingdom of Heaven" (as seen on A&E) and "History Vs. Hollywood: Kingdom of Heaven" (as seen on The History Channel). Both were not only educational but served to enhance my appreciation of the magnitude of the historical events, and by extension, enhance my enjoyment of the film in general.Secondly, the Amazon listing for this item states that the item may ship without shrink wrapping. My copy certainly did not have it, and the Blu-Ray case arrived scuffed and scratched (it shipped in a padded envelope). There was also a tacky sticker stuck on the case that declared "2 DISCS - ACTION PACKED FIVE HOUR FEATURE". This is perhaps not an issue for some, but for those as protective and particular about their collections as I am, it's more than a little irritating. Still, aside from these admittedly minor complaints, the "Red Cliff" Blu-Ray offers a lavish, exciting entry in the epic canon and a worthy addition to any film buff's collection.