Chi bi (2008)

The first chapter of a two-part story centered on a battle fought in China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.).

Director:

John Woo

Writers:

John Woo (screenplay), Khan Chan (screenplay) (as Chan Khan)

Stars:

Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang

14 wins & 44 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Chiu-Wai Leung	...	Zhou Yu (as Tony Leung)
Takeshi Kaneshiro	...	Zhuge Liang
Fengyi Zhang	...	Cao Cao
Chen Chang	...	Sun Quan
Wei Zhao	...	Sun Shangxiang
Jun Hu	...	Zhao Yun
Shidô Nakamura	...	Gan Xing (as Shidou Nakamura)
Chi-Ling Lin	...	Xiao Qiao
Yong You	...	Liu Bei
Yong Hou	...	Lu Su
Dawei Tong	...	Sun Shucai
Jia Song	...	Li Ji
Baasanjav Mijid	...	Guan Yu
Jinsheng Zang	...	Zhang Fei
Shan Zhang	...	Huang Gai

Storyline

In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale, led by the Prime Minister, himself. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance. Numerous battles of strength and wit ensued, both on land and on water, eventually culminating in the battle of Red Cliff. During the battle, two thousand ships were burned, and the course of Chinese history was changed forever.

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Plot Keywords:

han dynasty china | female spy | 3rd century | historical event | china | 

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Taglines:

The future will be decided.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences of epic warfare

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Woo's first Chinese film since 1992.

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Goofs

(Approx. 45 min. American version) During the tortoise battle, one of the generals retrieves his spear from the chest of an enemy. Naturally, it is covered in blood when he grabs the shaft, but when he withdraws it in the next shot, it is completely clean.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: The year is 208 AD. After years of civil war, a deathly calm has fallen of northern China. One by one, the rebel warlords have met their end under the sword of Prime Minister Cao Cao. Now, even the Han Emperor bows before his power. Yet from the south, a challenge is heard. Two leaders arise against Cao Cao's tyranny, the aging Liu Bei, and the inexperienced Sun Quan. So Cao Cao petitions the Emperor to brand these men as traitors, and declare a new war against the peaceful ...

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Alternate Versions

For the UK theatrical release, cuts were required to remove a shot of a cruel and dangerous horse fall (a horse being tripped and falling forward, rolling over on its neck). The cuts were required in accordance with the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Action Movies You Forgot Were Awesome (2020)

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Soundtracks

Heart, War
Music by Tarô Iwashiro
Lyrics by Francis Lee
Performed by Alan

User Reviews

Red cliff!

To be honest, I don't really know about the Romance of the three kingdom so I will start my review about the movie with no reference to the Chinese history. I have watched Daniel Lee's Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon and it is just average. I have only seen one movie based on the Romance of the three kingdom. John Woo makes his comeback as a director after so many years. I think it is worth the wait for his highly anticipated movie.

The story: In Singapore, the movie is split into two parts. The second part will be shown next year. This movie is an introduction to the Romance of the three kingdom. The first war starts when the movie starts to hype up those craving to see some good war battles. After the first war, you will get introduction of the characters slowly. After the slightly slow pace, you are treated to another war. The acting is good with the humour. I think model Lin Chiling should be given some credit as she marks the first acting debut in a Chinese blockbuster.

Overall: It has both the talk and the action. I must say that it is one of the recently interesting war movies with extended war battle unlike the other recent war movies. It should be good to watch it in cinema. This movie is good for those who want to know about the Chinese history or those who want to see the Chinese history in action.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [China] Official site [United States]

Country:

China Hong Kong Japan Taiwan South Korea USA

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

15 October 2009 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

Red Cliff

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Box Office

Budget:

CNY553,632,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,104, 22 November 2009

Gross USA:

$627,047

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$129,710,514

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beijing Film Studio, China Film Group Corporation (CFGC), Lion Rock Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

288 min 150 min (PG)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1