IR Film Review: CLIFF WALKERS [CMC]
The tangibility of spy games is always an interesting play but ultimately it resides in the endgame. "Cliff Walkers", the follow up of Zhang Yimou to his magical realism historical epic "Shadow" is interesting idea with less CG but a much more straightforward storyline set after the invasion of China by Japan during World War II. While the story is very much from the Chinese perspective, it does allow an interesting mode of thought in how the Chinese saw their captors. The aspect that everything hinges on is the aspect of subjugation versus knowledge. The film follows two teams who supposedly jump into a hot zone (geographically it is not clear why) so they can go undercover to get a high value target out across the border. Most of their contacts are deep cover spies (for one side or the other) so the idea of who is who and the reasons why they do things is lost. The one character that truly understands his notion is an inspector who sees both sides of the line (although he has an obviously loyalty to one). The aspect of separation of family weighs heavily and is brought back to bear amongst shootouts and moments of high emotion.
The 30s setting of course allows for a lot of old school cars which definitely adds to the milieu. The one thing that is missing which could have been added is wider matte shots of the specific cities to give a sense of time. While one scene atop of rooftop acts as the entry point into the second act, it does give the lay out of the land but its inclusion is brief. Some scenes have more intention than others though sometimes the tension goes slack. One specific moment in a train car really ups the ante by showing the lengths an agent will go to especially when a colleague is being threatened. It offers the brutality and simplicity that later at many points is missing. The aspect of sacrifice and loyalty especially in the case of one agent is beautifully handled but goes on too long. The final resolution, born out of the beginning scene of the movie, also reinforces the metaphor. "Cliff Walkers" is an interesting follow up to "Shadow" in moving the needle of a different genre while still understanding the family and loyalty dynamic. B-
By Tim Wassberg
