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Cliff Walkers

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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]

Cliff Walkers
Film poster
Traditional Chinese懸崖之上
Simplified Chinese悬崖之上
Literal meaningon the cliff
Hanyu Pinyinxuányá zhīshàng
Directed byZhang Yimou
Written byQuan Yongxian
Produced byLin Liang
Pang Liwei
Starring
CinematographyZhao Xiaoding
Edited byLi Yongyi
Music byJo Yeong-wook
Production
companies
Release date
  • April 30, 2021 (2021-04-30) (China)
Running time
125 minutes[1]
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Box officeUS$185.2 million[2]

Plot

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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 “Utrenya” (Russian: утреня) 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 that their local contacts are actually enemies in disguise. 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.

Cast

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  • 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

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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

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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

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

Awards and nominations

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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

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References

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  1. ^ "Cliff Walkers". AMC Theatres. Archived from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "Xuan Ya Zhi Shang Box Office". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  3. ^ Davis, Rebecca (2021-03-24). "Zhang Yimou's 'Impasse' Sets China Release Date, Ramping Up Labor Day Competition". Variety. Archived from the original on 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  4. ^ "张艺谋《悬崖之上》代表中国内地 竞逐第94届奥斯卡最佳国际影片奖 (Zhang Yimou's "Above the Cliff" represents Mainland China to compete for the 94th Oscar for Best International Film)". Sohu. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  5. ^ Kenny, Glenn (2021-04-29). "'Cliff Walkers' Review: Double Crosses and Double Agents". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-05-02. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  6. ^ "Cliff Walkers movie review: Zhang Yimou spy thriller, starring Liu Haocun, deceives with its labyrinthine narrative". scmp.com. April 30, 2021. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)()
  7. ^ "张艺谋谍战片《悬崖之上》曝概念海报 冰天雪地背景2020年上映 新作"坚如磐石"已送审". Mtime.com. 2020-09-11. Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  8. ^ "张艺谋《悬崖之上》开机，首度挑战谍战题材". The Beijing News. 2019-12-14. Archived from the original on 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  9. ^ "张艺谋首部谍战片《悬崖之上》杀青 编剧发文纪念". Sina.com. 2020-05-19. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  10. ^ "周深献唱《悬崖之上》，无词哼唱片段曝光". mtime.com (in Simplified Chinese). 2021-04-22. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  11. ^ "Zhou Shen Sings The Theme Song of "Impasse"". Youtube. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  12. ^ "张艺谋《悬崖之上》五一档将登陆全国IMAX影院". mtime.com (in Simplified Chinese). 2021-04-01. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  13. ^ "Cliff Walkers (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  14. ^ "15th Asian Film Awards – Nominations 2021". Asian Film Festivals. September 9, 2021. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  15. ^ Sabastian Nadilo (October 8, 2021). "15th Asian Film Awards – Winners 2021". Asian Film Festivals. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  16. ^ 第34届中国电影金鸡奖公布完整提名名单. qq.com (in Chinese). 29 November 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  17. ^ 第34届中国电影金鸡奖完整名单. qq.com (in Chinese). 30 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
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