Cliff Walkers

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Cliff Walkers
File:Impasse.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Zhang Yimou
Produced by Lin Liang
Pang Liwei
Written by Quan Yongxian
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Music by Jo Yeong-wook
Cinematography Zhao Xiaoding
Edited by Li Yongyi
Release dates
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  • April 30, 2021 (2021-04-30) (China)
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 historical 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

Set in the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, the film follows four Chinese Communist Party agents who parachute back to Harbin[5] in Northeastern China in the early 1930s. Together, they embark on a secret operation code-named “Utrennya” (Russian: "утренняя") that intends to extract a former prisoner who could expose the unethical human experimentation and other crimes against humanity committed by Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army in front of the international community. Upon landing, the team members split into two groups to avoid being captured and tortured to sell out their loved ones on the other group. They are also ready to sacrifice themselves by ingesting cyanide-equivalent pills contained in a match box. Soon after their separation, group 1 discover their local contacts are disguised by enemies. They manage to escape the trap, but also realize they had been sold out by a traitor, who caved after being tortured and witnessing the execution of his fellow comrades. Will group 1 be able to inform group 2 and carry out the mission? That is the question on the snowy grounds of Manchukuo.

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 [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

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

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

Cliff Walkers received a 82% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[13]

Awards and nominations

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

References

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External links

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