In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster 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. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance.
Direction
Woo's balletic violence finally meets historical sweep.
Cinematography
Every frame looks stolen from a Song Dynasty scroll.
Practical Effects
Thousands of actual extras, zero CGI armies.
Director
John Woo
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Zhou Yu
Takeshi Kaneshiro
Zhu Ge Liang
Zhang Fengyi
Cao Cao
Chang Chen
Sun Quan
Vicky Zhao
Sun Shang Xiang
Hu Jun
Zhao Yun
Shido Nakamura
Gan Xing
Lin Chi-Ling
Xiao Qiao
You Yongzhi
Liu Bei
Hou Yong
Lu Su
Tong Dawei
Sun Shu Cai
Song Jia
Li Ji
Baasanjav Mijid
Guan Yu
Zang Jinsheng
Zhang Fei
Zhang Shan
Huang Gai
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 145-minute international cut slashes nearly 90 minutes from the Chinese two-part release, gutting character arcs for action.
Tony Leung's Zhou Yu was historically a military commander, but Romance of the Three Kingdoms demoted him to jealous rival—this film restores his dignity.
CN
