Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

    Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

    09/08/2025
    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

    09/08/2025
    Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

    Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

    09/05/2025
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Cliff Walkers’ is a Spy Film With Many Meanings

REVIEW: ‘Cliff Walkers’ is a Spy Film With Many Meanings

Carolyn HindsBy Carolyn Hinds05/11/20214 Mins ReadUpdated:05/11/2021
Cliff Walkers
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Cliff Walkers

Telling a lie and being able to sell that lie are two very different things, and for four spies every lie told could mean being captured and tortured, and the death of a valuable witness. Cliff Walkers, famed director Zhang Yimou’s latest film, is an homage to the unsung heroes who risked their lives to inform the world of the atrocities carried out by the Japanese empire during the second sino-Japanese war.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Written by Yimou and based on an unpublished novel by writer Quan Yongxian, Cliff Walkers – also titled Impasse internationally – is the director’s first film in the spy genre, and it’s an effort worth watching. Set in 1930s  Manchukuo following the invasion of Japan in 1931 – and the establishment of it as a puppet state in 1934, the film follows Wang Yu (Amanda Qin), Zhang Xianchen (Zhang Yi), Zhou Yi ( Yu Hewei), Xiao Lan (Liu Haocun), and Chu Liang (Zhu Yawen) as secret agents of the Chinese Communist Party, tasked with the dangerous mission of rescuing Wang Ziyang, an escapee from Beiyinhe, a secret killing grounds operated by the Imperial Japanese Army, where biological experiments were carried out on captured Chinese citizens and spies.

After being trained in the essential arts of subterfuge and code-breaking, the team splits up into 2 groups on arrival in the snow-covered wildness outside the city of Harbin. Knowing they’re operating on borrowed time and under the constant threat of being discovered by the enemy, they push forward with their secret operation titled “Utrennya” (Russian for dawn), but before they can make any significant headway they learn they’ve been betrayed by a fellow comrade, and an extremely complex game of spy-vs-spy ensues.

Known for films lush with color, sweeping landscapes, riveting cinematography, and gorgeous costuming, Zhang Yimou is a director who has made his mark in the world of cinema for crafting films that are visually stunning and narratively intricate with plots featuring multi-faceted characters that are never what they appear to be, as can be seen in the Wuxia action films Shadow, Hero and Raise The Red Lantern. Cliff Walkers is said to be his “first foray into the spy genre”, but for anyone familiar with Zhang’s work it’s obvious this definitely isn’t his first film where secrets and lies is the name of the game, and as such he handles all the moving parts with a deft and experienced hand.

While his other films feature long and intricately choreographed action sequences that help to drive the story forward and interject energy, Cliff Walkers is a bit slower paced but this doesn’t affect it negatively, rather the pacing means the audience is inclined to pay more attention.  The film does feature some exciting action sequences that take place in trains, forests, and snow-covered streets of Harbin, but to look away and not pay attention to the dialogue and every move made by the characters, means one could miss a moment vital to the plot, as everything is a potential clue about who is to be trusted, and who’s a potential traitor.  Which is one of the film’s biggest strengths, and possibly faults depending on how it’s looked at.

The other major plus of the film is the cast’s performances. Everyone does a great job of playing characters who are never quite sure if they can trust the person they’re looking at, following the betrayal, which for any viewer who enjoys a good game of Clue, would be entertaining. It takes a skilled director and cast to pull off a story like this convincingly because there’s no clear indication if certain things that are done, are for the benefit of the plan and the team, or to save their own skin making each performance all the more interesting.

For Zhang, the film has significant meaning, as it shows the heavy sacrifices, and cost those willing to make when they place their lives on the line for the sake of revolution. As one of the characters explained, the use of “Utrennya” for their code word represented the hope that everything would be better when the sun rises. In a nod to the hope of a new day bringing a brighter future, there’s a reference to the 1925 Charlie Chaplin film The Gold Rush made, that makes the title of Cliff Walkers have multiple meanings for the film itself, which just adds to its narrative layers, and Zhang’s ability to create stories that as a spy game, is more than meets the eye.

Cliff Walkers is available in U.S. and international theaters now.

Cliff Walkers
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

For Zhang, the film has significant meaning, as it shows the heavy sacrifices, and cost those willing to make when they place their lives on the line for the sake of revolution. As one of the characters explained, the use of “Utrennya” for their code word represented the hope that everything would be better when the sun rises. In a nod to the hope of a new day bringing a brighter future, there’s a reference to the 1925 Charlie Chaplin film The God Rush made that makes the title of Cliff Walkers have multiple meanings for the film itself, which just adds to its narrative layers, and Zhang’s ability to create stories that as a spy game, is more than meets the eye.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Oxygen’ is a Claustrophobic Nightmare
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Castlevania’ Season 4 Is Exactly How to End a Story
Carolyn Hinds
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

I am a Freelance Film Critic, Journalist and Podcaster - and avid live tweeter. Member of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), my published work can be found on ButWhyThoPodcast, The Beat, Observer, and many other sites. As a critic, I believe my personal experiences and outlook on life, give readers and listeners a different perspective they can appreciate, and help them to see things in a new light. I am the proud host of Beyond The Romance Drama Podcast - a podcast dedicated to discussing Korean and other Asian dramas, the co-host of So Here's What Happened! Podcast (@SHWH_Pod), and the weekly science fiction film and TV live tweet event #SaturdayNightSciFi.

Related Posts

The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

09/11/2025
Natasha O’Keeffe in Whitetail
6.5

TIFF 2025: ‘Whitetail’ Is An Intimate View Of A Woman Stuck In Time

09/10/2025
Love Brooklyn
6.0

REVIEW: ‘Love, Brooklyn’ Rests on Pretty

09/10/2025
Park Jeong-min in The Ugly
7.0

TIFF 2025: ‘The Ugly’ Is A Harsh Exercise In Self-Reflection

09/09/2025
No Other Choice
9.0

TIFF 2025: ‘No Other Choice’ Delivers a Bleak Vision of Capitalism

09/09/2025
Molly Lewis in Whistle
8.0

TIFF 2025: ‘Whistle’ Is A Breath Of Fresh Air

09/07/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

By Kate Sánchez09/11/2025Updated:09/11/2025

The Long Walk is a brutal watch. Equally heartfelt and heartbreaking, it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

EA Sports FC Icons Match promotional image from Nexon News

2025 Icons Match Returns With Football Legends Bridging The Pitch And Video Games

By Kate Sánchez09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

NEXON has announced the return of the ‘2025 Icons Match,’ a live event that brings a full roster of legendary players to the pitch.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11
8.5
Anime

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 11 – “Hey, It’s a Kaiju”

By Allyson Johnson09/11/2025

The ragtag group faces down the mysterious kaiju in the thrilling and beautifully animated DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here