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
    EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Head Coach But Why Tho 5

    Dear EA Sports, Why Can’t I Make A Hot Coach?

    08/14/2025
    Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

    Blade Can Shut Down The Other Team In Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 If You Know How

    08/08/2025
    John Cena and Cody Rhodes during Summerslam 2025

    The SummerSlam 2025 Main Event Was A Fever Dream We All Needed

    08/08/2025
    Street Fighter 6 Sagat

    Sagat Brings Depth And Approachability To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    08/07/2025
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
  • 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Written by Yimou and based on an unpublished novel by writer Quan Yongxian, Cliff Walkers – also titled Impasse internationally – is the director’s first film in the spy genre, and it’s an effort worth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

Madelyn Cline and KJ Apa in The Map That Leads to You
8.0

REVIEW: ‘The Map That Leads To You’ Is YA Romance Done Right

08/19/2025
Lurker promotional still from MUBI

REVIEW: ‘Lurker’ Probes The Intoxication Of Fame

08/19/2025
The Knife (2025) promotional still
7.0

REVIEW: ‘The Knife’ Is Simple And Too Much At The Same Time

08/17/2025
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

08/16/2025
Fixed promotional key art from Netflix Animation
6.0

REVIEW: ‘Fixed’ Is Top-Notch Animation But Bottom Of The Barrel Comedy

08/15/2025
Denzel Washington Highest 2 Lowest
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ Has A Ton Of Fun Missing It’s Own Points

08/15/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

By Sarah Musnicky08/16/2025Updated:08/17/2025

It is understandable how Shin Godzilla succeeded at the box office nearly a decade ago. The strength of its story still stands today.

Botanical Bliss Update Palia But Why Tho 5 News

Palia’s New Botanical Bliss Update Brings New Flora, Decorations, And Quest Mechanic

By Matt Donahue08/18/2025Updated:08/18/2025

The Botanical Bliss update adds new event, more plushes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements and more to celebrate 2 years of Palia.

BOOTS Netflix First Look promotional images News

First Look at Coming-of-Age Story BOOTS, Coming to Netflix This October

By But Why Tho?08/17/2025

Netflix is reporting for duty this fall with the new eight-episode series BOOTS, a comedic drama starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Art Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: How The ‘Nuestra Magia’ Secret Lair Found Its Identity And Raised Over $1M

By Kate Sánchez08/15/2025Updated:08/15/2025

We spoke with Ovidio Cartagena about Magic: The Gathering’s Nuestra Magia Secret Lair drop, its impact, and the real treasure within.

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