With its budget of $80 million , John Woo as director, and an all-star cast ,Red Cliffis the most expensive and ambitious Asian-financed film ever. Last week I saw the release of the second part, and _ does it shows. But watching the film as a foreigner I felt I was missing out on something. Not knowing my Cao Cao's from my Zhou Yu's, I was not even sure whom I wanted to win. Certainly after the opening scene, in which Cao Cao is seen watching a game of Cuju, an ancient Chinese variation of football, I knew who had my support. After all, any man who enjoys his football is someone after my own heart. But after Cao Cao resorted to some evil strategies against his enemies in the south, I wasn't so sure he was the man I should be rooting for. And there is a lot more toRed Cliff 2than just extravagant battle scenes. The film does not take itself too seriously. Conversations between leaders are littered with one-liners, many of which had the audience in laughter. There is even enough to keep fans of more romantic entertainment happy too. This includes a charming relationship between a southern spy and an innocent northern soldier. The characters' interaction provides some genuinely heart-warming moments in the middle of the battle. Clocking in at around two hours, the film certainly does justice to the history story. When I walked out the cinema, I felt as drained  as Cao Cao's soldiers must have 1,800 years ago. The following factors of the film are all mentioned in the passage except  _  .
high budget leading roles actors and actress conversations