Cliff Walkers (), previously titled Impasse in English, is a 2021 Chinese spy thriller film directed by Zhang Yimou and written by Quan Yongxian. It is set in the Imperial Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s before World War II erupts. It was selected as the Chinese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Plot
Set in the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, the film follows four Chinese Communist Party agents who parachute back into Harbin in Northeastern China in the early 1930s. Together, they embark on a secret operation code-named “Utrenya” () that intends to extract a former prisoner who could expose crimes committed by the Imperial Japanese Army to the international community (e.g., unethical human experimentation and other crimes against humanity committed by Unit 731 of that army).
Upon landing, the team split into two groups to avoid being captured and forced to betray their mission or others in the group. They are also presented as being ready to sacrifice themselves, evidenced in part by their accepting pills from a match box bearing a Russian inscription, to ingest should they be caught.
Soon after separating, one group discovers that their local contacts are the covert opposition, falsely pretending to be compatriots. They manage to escape the trap, and realize they have been betrayed by a local co-conspirator intended to aid the four, after he witnessed the execution of others of the local conspiracy, then being tortured by electric shock, and being induced to answer his interrogators through the administration of drugs.
Cast Zhang Yi as Zhang Xianchen, a former journalist-turned CPC agent Yu Hewei as Zhou Yi, a CPC agent embedded within the enemy Qin Hailu as Wang Yu, Zhang's wife and comrade Zhu Yawen as Chu Liang, Zhang's comrade Liu Haocun as Xiao Lan, Zhang's comrade and Chu's girlfriend () Ni Dahong as Gao Bin, enemy in charge Li Naiwen as Gao's henchman Yu Ailei as Jin Zhide, Gao's henchman Lei Jiayin as Xie Zirong, a CPC agent-turned traitor
Production A conceptual poster was released in October 2019 during Pingyao International Film Festival. On Dec 13, 2019, the cameras started rolling in Xuexiang National Forest Park. The shooting wrapped on May 19, 2020.
The original score was composed by Jo Yeong-wook, whereas the eponymous theme song is composed by the band RadioMars and performed by Zhou Shen.
Release The movie was released on April 30, 2021, in both China and the United States. In China, it is released in IMAX, CINITY, Dolby Cinema, etc. In the United States, it is distributed by China Media Capital.
Reception Critical response On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Stylish and exciting, Cliff Walkers sees director Zhang Yimou trying his hand at the spy thriller genre with generally impressive results". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Awards and nominations YearAwardsCategoryRecipientResultRef.2021 15th Asian Film Awards Best Supporting ActorYu Hewei Best Supporting ActressQin Hailu Best Editing Li Yongyi Best Cinematography Zhao Xiaoding Best Costume DesignChen Minzheng Best Original Music Jo Yeong-wook 34th Golden Rooster Awards Best Picture Cliff Walkers Best Director Zhang Yimou Best Cinematography Zhao Xiaoding Best Actor Zhang Yi Yu Hewei Best Art Direction Lin Mu Best Sound Recording Yang Jiang and Zhao Nan
See also List of submissions to the 94th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Chinese submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links
Cliff Walkers at filmaffinity.com Cliff Walkers at hkmdb.com Cliff Walkers at rogerebert.com