After a 16-year absence from Asian cinema, action maestro John Woo makes a triumphant comeback with the stunning, star-studded spectacle Red Cliff. Made for a staggering US$80 million � the most expensive ever in Chinese cinema � Red Cliff may be the epic to end all epics.

The cast comprises reel luminaries such as Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Zhao Wei and Chang Chen. And the entire film is � gasp! � 5 hours long. But you'll only get to see the first half for now; the second half will be screened in December.

The story is based on the tumultuous history of China in the third century, when prime minister Cao Cao embarked on a mission to unite a divided China. The resulting power struggles eventually culminate in the Battle of the Red Cliff, the most famous and ferocious battle in Chinese history.

Contrary to John's reputation in Hollywood as a helmer who only knows how to direct action sequences but not actors, Red Cliff shows that John really does care for his characters when he's directing in Chinese. Much time is spent in the first film establishing the web of colourful characters, right down to their quirks and habits.

At first, the film moves somewhat slowly as it draws rich portraits of each and every one of the main players, including the ruthless Cao Cao (Farewell to My Concubine's Zhang Fengyi), his rival Liu Bei (You Yong), Liu Bei's ally (Chang Chen) and the famed military advisor Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro). But it picks up pace when the skirmishes begin.

All the men give credible performances, even if Takeshi is somewhat too boyish-looking to play the pivotal role of the wise and brave Zhuge Liang. Amid all these testosterone overdrive, the women also hold their own. Zhao Wei is terrific as Chang Chen's spunky sister while Taiwanese supermodel-turned-actress Lin Chi-ling is suitably coy as an object of desire.

Lavish and splendid as an epic must be, Red Cliff is the must-watch of week, the month and the year. Welcome home, John Woo!