Red Cliff II - a must see!

This is the sequel to Red Cliff. I think it is better than the first part because there are human elements inserted into the story.

Sun Shangxiang had a little puppy love for a soldier from Cao Cao's army and their bonding is sweet to behold. His death right before her eyes is a bittersweet ending to what could have been a romance, if she had revealed her true identity and if he had followed her to Sun Quan's army. After all, he fought for Cao Cao so that his family could survive, so perhaps his loyalty to Cao Cao is questionable.

I enjoyed Lin Chiling's portrayal of Xiaoqiao. She is demure, a good wife, passionate towards her country, brave, calm, devious and understanding. She was always there by Zhou Yu's side and the way she did the tea ceremony really brought out the etiquette it requires. Her bravery and patriotism caused her to go over to the enemy's side to attempt to turn the tables on Cao Cao. I don't think her acting is wooden, as some critics say.

Cao Cao is given a human side. He shows respect for Xiaoqiao when he could have raped her. After all, she gave herself to him by going there alone. He also tries to motivate his sick men by sharing with them his feelings as a father. These make up for the ruthlessness he shows in sending his dead soldiers to Sun Quan's army to infect the soldiers, and in poisoning Jiang Gan for his stupidity. Gan Xing sacrifices himself to aid the allies in reuniting for the ultimate battle with Cao Cao.

At the same time, some characters are developed very well. Zhu Geliang is seen in his brilliance and ingenuity, as Zhou Yu is. The way the former obtains the arrows and the way the latter gets the two generals executed are admirable. They are portrayed as equally wise and intelligent. Sun Shangxiang's bravery comes to a climax when she unravels the map of Cao Cao's army camp from her body. Sun Quan manages to overcome his fear and Cao Cao's taunting by shooting an arrow at Cao Cao's hairline.

Themes of loyalty, friendship and brotherhood, and mercy are also chronicled. These are most apparent when the sick soldiers of Cao Cao are moved by his sharing and chant cries of "Victory!" to signify their willingness to fight for him, when almost the allies gather before him and put him to shame with their unity, and when they show him mercy instead of killing him in the end. The didacticism conveyed is that no one wins in a war; everyone loses either his life or his loved ones.