Cliff Walkers
| Cliff Walkers | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | 懸崖之上 |
| Simplified Chinese | 悬崖之上 |
| Literal meaning | on the cliff |
| Hanyu Pinyin | xuányá zhīshàng |
| Directed by | Zhang Yimou |
| Written by | Quan Yongxian |
| Produced by | Lin Liang Pang Liwei |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Zhao Xiaoding |
| Edited by | Li Yongyi |
| Music by | Jo Yeong-wook |
Production companies | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 125 minutes[1] |
| Country | China |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Box office | US$185.2 million[2] |
Cliff Walkers (Chinese: 悬崖之上), previously titled Impasse in English,[3] 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.[4]
Plot
[edit | edit source]This Section's plot summary needs to be improved. (December 2025) |
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.[5] Together, they embark on a secret operation code-named “Utrenya” (Russian: утреня) 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[according to whom?][citation needed]).
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
[edit | edit source]- 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 [6]
- 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
[edit | edit source]A conceptual poster was released in October 2019 during Pingyao International Film Festival.[7] On Dec 13, 2019, the cameras started rolling in Xuexiang National Forest Park.[8] The shooting wrapped on May 19, 2020.[9]
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.[10][11]
Release
[edit | edit source]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.[12] In the United States, it is distributed by China Media Capital.
Reception
[edit | edit source]Cliff Walkers received an 82% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[13]
Awards and nominations
[edit | edit source]| Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15th Asian Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Yu Hewei | Nominated | [14][15] |
| Best Supporting Actress | Qin Hailu | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Li Yongyi | Won | |||
| Best Cinematography | Zhao Xiaoding | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Chen Minzheng | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Music | Jo Yeong-wook | Nominated | |||
| 34th Golden Rooster Awards | Best Picture | Cliff Walkers | Nominated | [16][17] | |
| Best Director | Zhang Yimou | Won | |||
| Best Cinematography | Zhao Xiaoding | Won | |||
| Best Actor | Zhang Yi | Won | |||
| Yu Hewei | Nominated | ||||
| Best Art Direction | Lin Mu | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound Recording | Yang Jiang and Zhao Nan | Nominated |
See also
[edit | edit source]- 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
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Cliff Walkers at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Cliff Walkers at Rotten TomatoesLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Cliff Walkers at Mtime.com (archived) (in Chinese)
- Cliff Walkers at Douban (in Chinese)
- Cliff Walkers at filmaffinity.com
- Cliff Walkers at hkmdb.com
- Cliff Walkers at rogerebert.com