Red Cliff Part II (Chi Bi 2) (2011)

80% of users liked it
(1,689 ratings)

John Woo's historical drama Red Cliff, Part I re-creates the legendary Chinese battle from 208 A.D. that led directly to the end of the Han Dynasty. The film charts how different factions joined forces to create this turning point in history. Chow Yun-Fat stars in the film that is adapted from part… More John Woo's historical drama Red Cliff, Part I re-creates the legendary Chinese battle from 208 A.D. that led directly to the end of the Han Dynasty. The film charts how different factions joined forces to create this turning point in history. Chow Yun-Fat stars in the film that is adapted from part of the beloved Chinese book Romance of the Three Kingdoms. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 11 min.
Directed By: John Woo
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 8, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Sep 27, 2008
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

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Featured Audience Ratings

Justin Y

With the successful implementation of Red Cliff, John Woo finishes up his story with Red Cliff II.During the opening credits of this picture, there is a catchup session that explains what has happened so far from the first Red… More
With the successful implementation of Red Cliff, John Woo finishes up his story with Red Cliff II.During the opening credits of this picture, there is a catchup session that explains what has happened so far from the first Red Cliff installment. However, this is more of a refresher for those who have seen the first film and not a fill in for those who haven't. Watching the first movie is highly recommended.So, the character introductions and development are out of the way and with no more major characters to introduce, this 2 hour 20 minute film needs to rely on the story and the action. Yes, most of the story is built up, but John Woo is able to keep things interesting as the two sides seemingly outwit each other to get the upper hand before the final battle. It is a bit slow at times, especially with all the action appearing at the end, but the film is still able to entertain.The final 40 minutes consists of a single large scale battle. The martial arts choreography is cut back as Woo focuses less on single character fights and more on the battle as a whole. The usage of fire and unique battle formations make for some creative action sequences until the conclusive showdown.All of the cast return yet again and it is the same Takeshi Kaneshiro and Zhao Wei, who has a more integral role this time around, that entertain the most.Red Cliff II is a good sequel and continuation. Fans of the first film will enjoy this one as well.
Tsubaki S

Fantastic way to close to the story, sure, there are some action cliches here and there, specially towards the final act. There's also a silly gender identity sub-plot, something common in other popular chinese stories of course, but something that the movie could had used in a… More
Fantastic way to close to the story, sure, there are some action cliches here and there, specially towards the final act. There's also a silly gender identity sub-plot, something common in other popular chinese stories of course, but something that the movie could had used in a better way, and not to set just a cheesy relation between two characters. Neverless, you will be so pumped that none of that will matter. The writting is for the most part strong, the characters well developed and goes without saying that the action pieces are great. It's the right balance of action and good characters that makes it a fun and engaging movie. Unless you're a big Three Kingdoms novel/historical nerd that can't be happy with anything.
Steven V

For this movie , there will be two main groups of audience. First, there'll be those who know little about the background, be it historical fact or the romanticized historical fiction The Three Kingdoms. At the other end of the spectrum, there'll be those… More
For this movie , there will be two main groups of audience. First, there'll be those who know little about the background, be it historical fact or the romanticized historical fiction The Three Kingdoms. At the other end of the spectrum, there'll be those who are familiar with the Battle of Red Cliff just as some people are familiar with Camelot or Alamo. A really smart thing though is taking two well-known anecdotes and running them parallel as reciprocal challenges between the two top-notch strategists Zhou Yu (Tony Leung) and Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), each putting his life down for failing to fulfill his end of the bargain. Their assignments, respectively, are to trick Cao Cao into killing his two best generals and to secure a huge supply of arrows from heaven knows where. This is one of the best parts of the movie, filled with dramatic tension as well as relieving humour. Depicting the rivalry-cum-comradeship between two heroes who have great respect for each other is of course vintage John Woo. The heart and soul of the movie, the battle itself, is a joy to watch. At the helm, John Woo has again done something very clever ? removing the Zhuge Liang's supernatural element of the original novel. Zhuge Liang attribute the critical event to the strategist's ability, be it an art or a science, to predict weather patterns. In enriching the movie for general consumption, John Woo has to create material for his two female leads almost out of a vacuum. He has in fact been quite successful, from the angle of dramatic appeal, albeit at the cost of some sacrifice of common sense and logic. This is a high quality, entertaining movie which John Woo has succeeded in creating by a very clever decision to concentrate on a simple agenda, The Battle of Red Cliff, despite the lure of numerous potential sub-plot.
Jonny C

Excellent movie. John Woo brings ancient China to life again in the second part of the legendary battle of Red Cliff. Again the acting was superb from Asia's finest actors, who are given a lot more dramatic depth than the first part, and the visuals and cinematography were… More
Excellent movie. John Woo brings ancient China to life again in the second part of the legendary battle of Red Cliff. Again the acting was superb from Asia's finest actors, who are given a lot more dramatic depth than the first part, and the visuals and cinematography were amazing. The battle scenes were jaw dropping, with great sword play, and I loved the chemistry between Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro.
Anthony V

A powerful conclusion to John Woo's triumphant return to Hong Kong cinema. Much to say on the power of loyalty and the tragedy of war. Once again wonderfully photographed, superbly acted and brutally beautiful battle scene choreography. Do yourself a favor and see the whole… More
A powerful conclusion to John Woo's triumphant return to Hong Kong cinema. Much to say on the power of loyalty and the tragedy of war. Once again wonderfully photographed, superbly acted and brutally beautiful battle scene choreography. Do yourself a favor and see the whole saga. If this is what John Woo does in Hong Kong, and "Paycheck" is what he does in America, we ought to revoke his visa so he stays where he can continue making great cinema instead of mediocre tripe.