Interview: John Woo

When I was in college in the 90s in Austin, Texas, I utilised to regular a recording store titled "I Luv VIdeo." The locals every titled it "I Heart Video," though, because of their distinctive sign. They had an awful array of recording tapes from every over the world, including a Brobdingnagian section of continent cult hits. This is where I was introduced to Evangelist Woo and his movies same Hard Boiled, The Killer, and Bullet in the Head. The Negro is an awful director, but since agitated to tone his impact has been erratic. For every Mission: Impossible 2, there's a Windtalkers. For every Face/Off, there's a Paycheck.

Red Cliff is his prototypal flick since Paycheck, and it's a triumphant modify for Woo as he moves into poem storytelling with a flick so super it had to be separate into digit parts. Unfortunately, dweller audiences exclusive conventional a cut-down edition of both films, but Woo says that the full edition module be coming to DVD soon. Right now, you crapper grownup Red Cliff in theaters (it unsealed nationwide in the US on November 25) or On Demand in whatever markets, and I crapper testify that it is ease a rattling satisfying flick to watch. This is a Brobdingnagian flick with a ton of action, a enthusiastic story, and it's beatific to wager Woo backward to his continent roots.

Read on for our full interview with Evangelist Woo meet after the break.

Cinematical: dweller audiences belike aren't old with the subject legacy of the Battle of the Red Cliffs. How bounteous is that news in China? Does everyone undergo it? Are grouping taught it when they are children?

John Woo: Yeah. I conceive most of the Asiatic grouping are old with this conception of news and story. We hit scholarly most it since we were a child. Beside the Chinese, the added continent countries same Nihon and Korea, and modify Thailand, you know, the people, they hit every scholarly this conception of history. And in peninsula and Japan, they modify ingest it as touchable for the school.

Beside the movie, they also had prefabricated it in individual assorted ways, same computer games, funny books. It is extremely favourite in whatever of the continent countries.

Cinematical: That's hornlike for us to fathom. I mean, our land is barely over 200 eld old. This is a news that's been passed downbound for thousands of years.

John Woo: Yeah. I conceive what the Asiatic or continent grouping same most it is the older heroes in the story; they are so famous. They hit got the honour of loyalty and honor, and they serve their land and protect their family. And whatever of the heroes modify became Gods. The added abstract is most the strategy. One of the important characters, Zhuge Liang is the most magnificent nous in China. What he had created or invented most the war tactics, the strategy, his intelligence; you know, grouping wager from him. People modify ingest it for doing playing nowadays, especially for Japanese. They ingest his tactics for doing playing and success. He is meet same a God in Asia. So I also grew up with this story, and there are quite a few heroes I rattling admire. There was a shirker who was state a baby in the region of effort in the movie. He was famous for that. And actually, it was the warning rousing for Chow Yun Fat in Hard Boiled.

Cinematical: Oh, sure. The infirmary scene.

John Woo: Yeah. He was state the lowercase baby in a Brobdingnagian gun effort in a hospital.

Cinematical: So that is originally condemned from the Battle of Red Cliffs?

John Woo: Yeah, yeah. I same the character. I esteem him so much. He was so hardcore to his master. He was rattling brave, rattling intelligent, and a aggregation of the Asiatic grouping fuck him.



Cinematical: I was feat to ask, you spoke most the strategy. How such of that did you verify independency with and how such was supported on actual fact?

John Woo: The overturn manufacture was fiction. I prefabricated it up. Originally, it was Zhuge Liang's, the strategist, idea. But his manufacture is category of same a conservativist appearance which looked pretty dull to me. It is a Brobdingnagian conservativist appearance of soldiers with a lowercase ornament exclusive and they were using assorted kinds of weapons and techniques to fight with the enemy. They were meet advancing and it didn't wager rattling interesting. So I denaturized it. One day, when I looked at the picture of turtles, then that gave me an idea. So I had definite to attain it countenance same a overturn shape, and also, with a lowercase ornament exclusive of the circle, housing the adversary exclusive and fighting them.

So it is a compounding of warning intent and my idea. But for the final battles, same the burning ship, was from the history. And also, there was the intent from Zhuge Liang, and the intent was they were using ten lowercase boats, rammed them into the enemy's blueness of 2,000 ships. Because of the wind, the 10 lowercase boats ordered the whole enemy's blueness on fire. So it was an extremely famous effort in Asiatic history. Everybody knows it. So it was quite a contest to attain it on the bounteous screen. [laughs]. And for the mark scene, also, that was from the book. I meet denaturized a lowercase bit. I denaturized it to attain it a lowercase more funny. The threesome field battles, they are every supported on the history, and then I had to attain whatever changes.

Cinematical: The dweller edition that we are seeing is assorted from the edition that was free in China, which was a aggregation longer and was free in digit parts. First of all, did you oversee the cut that we are getting, and what are we losing? What are we not feat to see?

John Woo: Originally, there were digit fuck stories. One is the General Zhou Yu, which was played by Tony Leung; a fuck news with his wife. And the added fuck news is the lowercase princess; ground she was concealed into the enemy's camp as a spy. And she also had a fuck news with an adversary teen soldier. It is quite a sad fuck story. At the end, the teen shirker got killed; because the teen solider is so innocent. He knew nothing most war and he sacrificed. And he also didn't undergo ground he got killed. So it had a pretty brawny anti-war communication in it. But for the size of the movie, so we had to retrograde that part.

We also had clipped downbound the side characters a lowercase meet disagreeable to verify digit story. And also disagreeable to pore on the important storyline and key characters. The dweller audience, they are not as old with this conception of news and the characters, so that is what we definite to do. And then I meet permit my application do the job. Basically, I didn't poverty to retrograde likewise much. But I staleness say, my application did a rattling beatific job. It didn't countenance rough. It didn't wager to hit forfeited anything. I am rattling entertained with short version.

Cinematical: Are there plans ease to promulgation a DVD here in the states that module hit the whole film?

John Woo: Yeah. We module promulgation the continent edition on DVD. You also hit quite an interesting abstract to watch.

Cinematical: The advise notes say, "This is the most pricey continent financed flick ever made." Is this the most pricey flick you hit worked on? I stingy you hit worked on whatever rattling bounteous films? Was this budget modify larger?

John Woo: I hit worked on such large budget films in Hollywood, same Mission: Impossible 2. And of course, it outlay a aggregation more. But for Asia, this is the most pricey flick ever. It outlay $80 million. It is a really, rattling pricey film. It was worth it because for both the Asiatic gathering and every of us, we hit scholarly a rattling beatific experience. It also evidenced we hit the knowledge to attain a bounteous budget tone call flick in China. There are rattling a aggregation of great, nimble filmmakers in China. They rattling crapper do so whatever things.

Cinematical: It sounds same the audiences in China hit rattling been feat for it.

John Woo: Yeah. I conceive the flick rattling drew the conference into feat backwards to the theater. Before, most of the teen grouping in Asia, they exclusive idolized to check a tone movie. And they every wager exclusive the tone movies are worth watching because they hit a such higher budget, such meliorate technology, such large stars, something same that. This flick rattling has denaturized peoples' minds and has permit the teen grouping undergo that no concern what category of movie, tone or continent movie, they are worth watching.

Cinematical: This flick got you to impact with Tony Leung again, though I had been reading that originally that conception was feat to be played by Chow Yun Fat. How did that hap and how did Tony become aboard? And what happened to Chow? Did he meet hit to drop discover for added reasons?

John Woo: I conceive it is every most the contract. Chow and I hit desired to impact unitedly for so whatever years. He idolized the project. Unfortunately, the lessen didn't impact out. His businessperson had a hornlike instance making a care with the production company. And then Tony came aboard. Tony, he is variety of a beatific friend. He is so afeard most me. In the beginning, he meet proven to richness me and proven to do whatever help. And I said okay. How most letting him endeavor the persona modify though he is feat to attain it different? So I conceive Tony is also amend for the role.

The period he titled me, he was extremely tired and his health wasn't in beatific shape, because after he had worked on the Lust, Caution movie, he was so afeard he couldn't do a beatific employ with it. But for this movie, he would same to do it for a friend. So I was so appreciative. And after he intellection most it, then he came aboard for the part. So mainly, he desired to do it for a friend. He didn't poverty to wager me frustrated. Anyway, our relationship in between Tony and Chow, I ease greatly esteem him as digit of the best actors in the concern and he is ease a beatific friend. We are ease hunting for whatever added send to impact unitedly in.

Cinematical: Wow, that's a beatific someone to travel in same that. He did a enthusiastic employ in the role.

John Woo: Oh, yeah. I conceive Tony, he got more grown and modify more charming. He has enthusiastic attractiveness and has a enthusiastic heart. He rattling cares most his friends. In actual life, he rattling cares most others, meet same what he did in the movies. So I had to modify the character. I meet desired Tony to endeavor himself. The artefact he treats his friends and his soldiers in the movie, that is same he aerated me. It is rattling nice to impact with Tony again.

Cinematical: So when did you actually start filming the movie?

John Woo: In the region of 2006.

Cinematical: Looking at whatever of the effort scenes when there are literally hundreds or thousands of soldiers on the screen, did you do whatever CGI impact with that or was it literally a aggregation of extras?

John Woo: It is both. Fortunately, we had enthusiastic hold from the Asiatic government. We got hundreds of soldiers to impact on the set. And then we had the stunt grouping from every over the country. So we did most of the springy state and then we CG'd adding more people. We also had built most 25 battleships of assorted sizes and CG'd the rest of it. So I conceive the CGI team that came from the United States, they did a rattling beatific employ and we had a rattling beatific CGI supervisor, Craig Hayes. He cared most the flick and he had also been studying this conception of history. And he knows every the characters, modify meliorate than whatever of the Asiatic crew. So he was so involved. We had worn every the state sequences on the bounteous scenes, and we had spent a aggregation of instance and a aggregation of energy to impact on every those bounteous scenes.

Cinematical: Your name seems to be agitated around a aggregation of assorted projects. What is incoming for you? Do you hit something immediate, or do you meet hit individual things that you are hunting to intend going?

John Woo: I hit individual things employed at the same instance for the moment. For my incoming project, it is titled The Flying Tigers. It is a news most the dweller volunteer assemble employed with the Asiatic Air Force in World War II. And they were titled The Flying Tigers. They are serving the Asiatic to fight the war. They hit a aggregation of enthusiastic contributions for the country. And the Asiatic grouping were so glad to them. Mainly, the news is the Asiatic and dweller pilots' story. Mainly, it is a news most their relationship and their contribution. It is also feat to be a pretty bounteous budget movie. It module involve a aggregation of bounteous effort scenes. So it is quite a hornlike project.

Another digit is a Asiatic military subject flick which is feat to be a tribute to Akira Kurosawa. It is feat to be my prototypal military subject movie. And then added digit projects which are nonindustrial in Hollywood. One is titled Marco Polo. And added digit is a land digit we call La Samurai. And I am also disagreeable to making 3D movies. After I watched 17 transactions of Avatar when that came out. It was so amazing! I couldn't closed my eyes. So they are hortative me to attain added digit most an continent Asiatic perplexity story.

Cinematical: So you conceive you strength attain a 3D movie? Any of these could be 3D, or you would do something limited for 3D?

John Woo: It is added Asiatic news titled Journey to the West. The important case is the Monkey King. But anyway, that is meet a thought. There are so whatever beatific stories I could attain into 3D movies.

Cinematical: We hit been hearing a gossip that blackamoor Cruise is bespoken to digit of your films. Is that true or crapper you modify feature anything most that?

John Woo: No, I don't conceive so. I would same to impact with blackamoor Cruise again, but I also hit overheard he is pretty fascinated to do The Flying Tigers. I also overheard they also hit added script. So I ease requirement to encounter out. I don't hit such to feature most it.

Cinematical: You worked on the recording mettlesome Stranglehold, which reunited you with Chow Yun Fat and was a supplement of sorts to Hard Boiled ...

John Woo: I forgot to verify you. We are feat to attain that into a movie.

Cinematical: I heard that was the plan. So that is beatific to undergo that is ease agitated along. Are you involved in whatever added recording mettlesome properties or are you employed on anything in the mettlesome area?

John Woo: No. I don't hit that such time, modify though I poverty to attain digit again. But for the moment, I also am producing digit movies. One is actuation in Taiwan. One is actuation in Shanghai. So I am quite laboring these days.

Cinematical: Yeah, you are a laboring guy. Where do you springy now, in the states or are you backwards in China now?

John Woo: I ease springy in Los Angeles, but I spend quite whatever instance in Beijing. I hit got impact here. So I am feat backwards and forth.

Cinematical: I was reading a quote where you said, it was whatever instance after Paycheck, and you said it was arduous to intend beatific scripts after that flick came out. Is that ease the case? Did you stingy tone scripts by that?

John Woo: I conceive I hit been stereotypical as an state administrator in Hollywood, so every I got were the state scripts. I ever poverty to essay something else. For example, I also worked to attain a comedy or a fuck story, but it is hornlike to convince the studio. I conceive that not whatever grouping believe in me to attain a beatific fuck story. So I was a lowercase taste frustrated. I also conceive the studios are effort dry. They demand whatever beatific and newborn touchable to impact with. I am trusty you crapper wager ... whenever they show a beatific news from whatever continent country, they produce it correct away.

I stingy in Hollywood, they are also hunting for whatever newborn thing, whatever newborn material. That is digit of the reasons ground I go backwards to China, because China has so whatever beatific stories. It also has such a enthusiastic history. There are so whatever beatific stories that haven't been discovered. So I meet wager same I could do something I rattling poverty to do, same the flick Red Cliff. It is rattling hornlike to attain it in tone nowadays. I also same The Flying Tigers. I also hit proven to attain a fuck news same Dr. Zhivago.

Cinematical: Hollywood studios are meet full of remakes correct now. It is sometimes category of frustrating.

John Woo: Also, what I hit heard is they are exclusive fascinated in making either the bounteous budget CG flick or a rattling lowercase budget comedy or something same that. There is no middle-class flick correct now. It is hornlike to attain a flick most something same tany poetry, fuck story, or something same that. The mart is quite assorted correct now.

Cinematical: Are there whatever directors you enjoy watching? As laboring as you are, do you hit instance to go to the movies?

John Woo: To be honest, I don't hit such instance to check whatever movies. I rattling fuck Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire. I also ease fuck to check Tarantino's films. And also, I fuck to check teen directors' movies. Not exclusive from Hollywood. I hit seen quite a few beatific dweller films.