History Film / RedCliff

* BladeOnAStick: Examples abound throughout the film, with the most notable being the guan dao wielded by Guan Yu (the weapon's namesake).

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: As with any ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' based work, the generals get to kick far more ass than any of their soldiers.

* MsFanservice: Xiao Qiao stars in a [[CoitusEnsues Gratuitious Sex Scene]] with Zhou Yu to make the audience care about her more, [[spoiler:since she goes to Cao Cao's camp before the actual battle later after in an attempt to get him to throw the fight]]. Also, she is usually the focus of the scenes she's in and the camera also loves to focus whatever part of her skin she has exposed at that time.

* MsFanservice: Xiao Qiao stars in a [[CoitusEnsues Gratuitious Sex Scene]] with Zhou Yu to make the audience care about her more, [[spoiler:since she goes to Cao Cao's camp before the actual battle later after in an attempt to get him to throw the fight]]. Also, she is usually the focus of the scenes she's in and the camera also loves to focus whatever part of her skin she has exposed at that time, notably on that BareYourMidriff scene.

--> '''Children''': "What use is reading if we're hardly able to eat?"
--> '''Guan Yu''': "When you have mastered reading, you will have much to eat. You'll learn in time."

* ArrowCam

* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao get it on like it's their last time, even though [[ForegoneConclusion it really isn't]] (although it might be the one which caused her pregnancy later); Cao Cao has a Xiao Qiao stand-in and [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything frequent headaches.]]
* GrievousHarmWithABody: Zhang Fei throws an enemy into a group of others.

* PleasePutSomeClothesOn: When Shangxiang strips to her undergarments to unroll the map of Cao Cao's camp she had smuggled out under her clothes, Xiao Qiao repeatedly tries to get her to put her robe back on.

* RainOfArrows: Played with by Zhuge Liang, who uses his famous straw boat ruse to steal Wei's arrows. It works so well, the ships start listing before he turns them around.

* SceneryPorn: The Southlands are described as "paradise on Earth", and the movie makes sure you know it. The drill scene is particularly prevalent.
** Geographically, the South was full of fertile, lush river valleys, while the flatlands of the North were too cold and dry to sustain agriculture.

* SignatureStyle: If there's one director in the whole world who could somehow insert a MexicanStandoff in a ''period movie'', it's John Woo. [[spoiler:You've got Cao Cao and Zhou Yu with swords at each other's throats, Cao Hong with a sword to Zhou's back, then Sun Quan with a bow and arrow aimed at Cao, and just to add flavor, Xiahou Jun holds Xiao Qiao hostage.]]

* UnkemptBeauty: Xiao Qiao in her first scene.

* WarIsHell: Yes, the fight sequences are awesome, but they're also horrifyingly ''brutal'' and several scenes in the film are used to illustrate the tragedy caused. While the B plot with Shangxiang overly reeks of RomanticPlotTumor, [[spoiler: seeing the man who befriended her die before her eyes pretty much destroys her initial wide-eyed belief that being in battle is cool]].
** Lampshaded earlier in Part 1:
--> '''Zhuge Liang''': "Princess, have you ever fought in a war?"
--> '''Sun Shangxiang''': "There's always a first time!"
--> '''Zhou Yu''': "The first time I fought, I wished there was never a second."

* WickedCultured: Cao Cao

--> '''Zhou Yu''': "You talk about peace but you quote from ''Literature/{{The Art of War|SunTzu}}''?"
--> '''Xiao Qiao''': "I've read your strategy books in secret; the better to understand you."

* DemotedToExtra: To a certain extent, Huang Gai. [[spoiler: Historically, one of the reasons the Wu fleet was able to pull off the fire attack was because Cao Cao was expecting Huang Gai's ships from a false surrender ruse. This was expanded in the novel with an elaborate plan known as the "Bitter Meat Scheme" involving a beating and some FeedTheMole. HandWaved in the film when Huang suggests the plan to Zhou Yu, but Zhou dismisses it, saying it's unnecessary]]. He still appears in many scenes, often as ThoseTwoGuys with Lu Su, and still [[spoiler: leads the initial fire attack]].

* DueToTheDead: Zhou Yu decides to give the bodies of soldiers Cao Cao sent across the river a proper funeral, despite them being enemies.

* LibationForTheDead: In part 1, the generals of Wu and Shu pout out some wine in memory of the messenger slain by Cao Cao.

* TeaIsClassy: Xiao Qiao is renowned for her tea-making skills, and on the eve of the final battle distracts Cao Cao from the approaching army with a discussion of tea.

* WeatherSavesTheDay: A major plot point is waiting for the wind to blow the right way, allowing the fleet of fire ships to do their work.

* PuppetKing: The Emperor gets precisely one scene, in which he is verbally bullied by Cao Cao to "order" him to launch his war against the southern kingdoms in front of the entire court. Part of Liu Bei's argument as to why he and Sun Quan must unite to stop Cao Cao is that if he consolidates his hold on the south, he'll stop bothering with the pretense that he's just an Imperial Minister and claim the throne for himself.

Not to confuse with ''Literature/{{Redwall}}''.

''Red Cliff'' (original title 赤壁, ''Chi Bi'') is a film directed by Creator/JohnWoo and inspired by a famous battle in ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', based on the [[UsefulNotes/ThreeKingdomsShuWeiWu Three Kingdoms period]] of ancient China. The first part was released in 2008 and its second part in 2009; in some countries, only a condensed version was released. It stars Creator/TonyLeung, Creator/TakeshiKaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Creator/ChangChen, Hu Jun, Lin Chiling and Creator/ZhaoWei.

*** Speaking of whom, Zhou Yu interrupts Zhang Fei's calligraphy practice in order to analyse his handwriting. This was actually a plot point when Creator/TonyLeung starred in ''Film/Hero2002''.

* TheAce: Zhou Yu is portrayed as a superb fighter on par with the likes of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun ''and'' a master strategist on par with Zhuge Liang. Both his combat and tactical prowess allows him to form a BashBrother bond with both Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun.

* PuppetKing: The Emperor gets precisely one scene, in which he is verbally bullied by Cao Cao to "order" him to his war against the southern kingdoms in front of the entire court. Part of Liu Bei's argument as to why he and Sun Quan must unite to stop Cao Cao is that if he consolidates his hold on the south, he'll stop bothering with the pretense that he's just an Imperial Minister and claim the throne for himself.

*** Speaking of whom, Zhou Yu interrupts Zhang Fei's calligraphy practice in order to analyse his handwriting. This was actually a plot point when Creator/TonyLeung starred in ''Film/{{Hero}}''.

* FirstLove: Sun Shangxiang, the princess of Wu, forcibly rejects any proposal ideas her brother makes [[spoiler:including knocking out Liu Bei with a punch]], and [[spoiler:falls in love with a soldier from Wei who also happens to be the star athlete. The first time she saw him, he single-handidly dominated a soccer-esque game]].

* SceneryPorn: The Southlands are described as "paradise on Earth", and the movie makes sure you know it. The scene during the ThemeTuneCameo is particularly prevalent.

* ThemeTuneCameo: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWMYaiqmzVg When Wu army drills led by Zhou Yu are interrupted by a peasant boy with a flute.]]