‘Cliff Walkers’ Trailer: Zhang Yimou’s Snowy Spy Thriller Hits Chinese And U.S. Theaters On The Same Date
The master of wuxia is taking on the spy genre.Zhang Yimou, whose wuxia masterworksHouse of Flying DaggersandHerohelped catapult the Chinese martial arts film to the global stage, is back with his first film since 2018’sShadow, and his first-ever espionage movie.Cliff Walkersis a snowy spy thriller set in the puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s and follows four Communist party special agents on a secret mission. Watch theCliff Walkerstrailer below.
Cliff Walkers Trailer
Black suits, black hats, back-alley deals, and lots of moral grays against a frigid, snowy backdrop: those are all the hallmarks of a historical spy thriller, which Zhang plays with elegantly inCliff Walkers, his new film coming to theaters this month. It’s almost as if the Chinese auteur was a practiced hand with this genre, but it’s all new to him — Zhang has almost exclusively made wuxia films throughout his illustrious three-decade career, and more frequently, his films have been replete with color. But as of late, Zhang has begun to experiment with different styles — turning to Hollywood with the ill-advisedGreat Wall(not good), and making the monochromatic wuxia filmShadow(much better). And he’s making an even bigger leap, to the spy genre, withCliff Walkers.
Cliff Walkersis his first film since 2018’sShadow, though that wasn’t always meant to be. Zhang was working on his magnum opusOne Secondfor years, a deeply personal film based on his experiences during the Cultural Revolution. But despite plans to premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival,China’s censorship boards got toOne Second, and it might just be lost to the world forever. At least Zhang appears to have bounced back with with the intriguing, beautifully shotCliff Walkers, which will be the rare film to be released in both Chinese and U.S. theaters on the same date.
Here is the synopsis forCliff Walkers:
Based on the script by Quan Yongxian, CLIFF WALKERS is director Zhang Yimou’s first foray into the spy genre. Set the puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s, the film follows four Communist party special agents who return to China after receiving training in the Soviet Union. Together, they embark on a secret mission code-named “Utrennya.” After being sold out by a traitor, the team find themselves surrounded by threats on all sides from the moment they parachute into the mission. Will the agents break the impasse and complete their mission? On the snowy grounds of Manchukuo, the team will be tested to their limit.
Cliff Walkerspremieres in both Chinese and U.S. theaters onApril 30, 2021.
