The Cliff Walkers, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Zhang Yi, Yu Hewei, Qin Hailu, Zhu Yawen, Liu Haocun, Ni Dahong, Li Naiwen and Yu Ailei, was released nationwide on April 30, 2021. During the Anti-Japanese War in the 1930s, Japanese invaders launched anti-human experiments in Northeast China. In order to get evidence of the crimes, the Communist Party sent four special agents there for a secret mission coded “Wutela”. Betrayed by a traitor, they were in peril and surrounded by secret agents before reaching their destination. 

The film is adopted based on the original script by Quan Yongxian, who won the Magnolia Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Brink at the 18th Shanghai TV Festival in 2012. The TV series became a benchmark in the spy genre in China. Base on some of the characters in the TV series and history in the 1930s, the film presents a whole new story. It’s more like a prequel of the TV series with respect to the storyline.

Poster of the Cliff Walkers

As the first spy works of director Zhang Yimou, instead of creating suspense, the film focuses on portrait of characters and their attachment to lovers and families. In order to present cold and harsh vibe, almost all the scenes were shot in icy and snowy environment. The film delivers simple aesthetics of black, white and gray. According to the review of a lot of audience, “it’s the best spy film after The Message.”

Actors can barely move around through deep snow; breath in cold air is vivid and priceless

There were a lot of rainy scenes in the Shadow, many desert scenes in One Second, and snowy scenes throughout Cliff Walkers, all of which embody Zhang Yimou’s pursuit of ultimate aesthetics.

Nowadays, it’s easy to shoot the film in studio or anywhere with special effects of snow via CG technology. However, Zhang Yimou insisted on location shooting, brought the cast and crew to the Snow Town in Heilongjiang Province, and shot the film in minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. As Zhang indicated, the film is all about “sacrifice”. It’s imperative to present the cold and harsh vibe, and immerse actors and audience in such vibe. In this way, audience may relate to the characters and passion in cold disguise.

Still of Cliff Walkers

Except for the sunny scene where the special agents completed the mission “Wutela”, all the location shooting were all carried out in snow. The crew had a snow machine making snow. Some of the snow on hats and shoulders of actors were evenly sifted by the crew.

On the Set Where Snow Was Waist Deep

In the scene of snowy woods at the beginning of the film, actors were not allowed to step on the snow before the take started as footsteps on the snow would be a blooper. After explaining the blocking to actors, director sat behind the monitor and cued “action”. But actors didn’t move. Director asked, “Why didn’t you guys move?” It turned out the snow was knee deep or even waist deep, and they couldn’t pull their legs up. In director Zhang’s view, red marks left on face because of north wind, and breath seen in the cold air are valuable. There was one scene where Zhang Yi escaped after smashing a car. He was looking at the car window and his breath in the cold air was captured by the camera set inside the car. Zhang Yimou found this very vivid and priceless, and he thought it a key to the quality of the film.

1:1 reproduction of Central Street, Harbin (Zhang Yi’s hometown) in Datong

In addition to snowy scenes in Snow Town located in Northeast China, the crew reproduced the well-known Central Street of Harbin (including key locations such as Asia Cinema, Business Bookstore, Modern Hotel, police station and cafe) in Datong, Shanxi Province, at the ratio of 1:1.

Still of Cliff Walkers—Night View of Harbin

Zhang Yi is from Harbin. When he first walked into the reproduction set, he felt very excited. He felt like back home, and a host of the home street. He felt more affinity when he noticed the director’s tent was set up where his home used to be. Thus, he felt like going home whenever he went to watch the director’s monitor.

Zhang Yi “disobeyed” rules of the crew and sent a few photos of the Central Street to his parents in the first place. His parents were born in the 1940s. They are closely attached to the Central Street they remembered in childhood, and felt very happy to see the photos. 

Vivid performance of "burning a note after reading" by Yu Hewei

Yu Hewei played Zhou Yi, a double agent in Japan's secret service department. He delivered a very vivid performance where he contacted his comrades, and burnt a note after reading it in the car.

Still of Cliff Walkers—Zhou Yi Burnt a Note after Reading it

According to Zhang Yimou, the scene had three takes, and the second was used. Director Zhang’s initial thought was to let the ashes fall of his hand when the note was almost burnt. However, in the second take, the note was stuck to his hand. When it was burnt in his palm, he closed his hand and didn’t let the ashes fall off. It’s an improvised act. Then Yu had the third take, in which he let the ashes fall off. When watching the replay with the director, Yu preferred the second take as it symbolized complete confidentiality by not letting any ashes go.

“Traitor” Lei Jiayin’s impersonation and bloodshot eyes by strangulation

Lei Jiayin played Xie Zirong, a traitor. Because of his betrayal, the mission “Wutela” was exposed and made the agents become cliff walkers.

Lei Jiayin likes observing people around him in everyday life. Before shooting the film Cliff Walkers, he starred in a film in collaboration with Ge You. When he was to play the character, he thought of Ge You’s playing a traitor, and came up with a setting of the character in honor of Ge You. However, he didn’t tell the director beforehand. There was a scene with Ni Dahong. He had a line, “we caught a senior double agent for the Communist Party, who’s been hiding in secrecy for years. That’s amazing!” Lei Jiayin impersonated Ge You and articulated his line very slowly. But director asked him to speak faster.

Still of Cliff Walkers—Xie Zirong played by Lei Jiayin

In the end, traitor Xie Zirong was strangled to death with a wire by double agent Zhou Yi. Lei Jiayin presumed it would be hard when reading the script. Director asked him to act like he had hyperthyroidism and kept his eyes open and bulged upon death. The scene was shot from morning till 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. He found his eyes bloodshot when he was washing his face in the evening. Yu Hewei was also impressed about the scene, “no matter if it’s Zhou Yi strangling Xie Zirong or me strangling Lei Jiayin, I am very excited. This will keep me happy for half a year.”

Zhang Yimou spoke highly of Zhang Yi’s “entrusting his kids to Zhou Yi”

There is a highly acclaimed scene where Zhang Xianchen played by Zhang Yi entrusted his kids to Zhou Yi in the car. Wounded all over his body, Zhang Xianchen escaped the interrogation room. He knew he couldn’t finish the mission. He sacrificed himself to protect Zhou Yi so that Zhou Yi could complete “Wutela”.

Zhang Yi and Yu Hewei Delivered a Lot of Great Performance.

It’s a crucial scene, where the mission was transferred from one to the other. Even Zhang Yimou had no idea how to present the scene. Zhang Yi offered to start first. After transferring the mission, he was asked by Yu Hewei, “anything else?” He didn’t reply, staggered off the car but returned. He asked him a favor to find two kids who used to beg for food in front of the Modern Hotel (his son and daughter left behind by him in Harbin). Zhang Yi found the scene very difficult. It was shameful to ask a favor and entrust his kids to Zhou Yi under that circumstance. So he dropped his head in the scene. Director Zhang was very impressed, “he is a special agent but he’s also an ordinary human. There should be presentation of affection.”

Authorization of 10-second Chaplin scene was smoothly granted

In the end, Zhou Yi met Xiaolan at the Asia Cinema, where The Gold Rush starring Charlie Chaplin was screening. The 10-second classic roll dance scene needs approval to be inserted in the film.

Classic Roll Dance Scene in The Gold Rush

Zhang Yimou received the Asian Chaplin Award from the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin in November, 2019. The Cliff Walkers was to start shooting in December. So he asked the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin if she could authorize the usage of scenes by Chaplin in his next film. According to her, she had no power to do so. Zhang would have to go through a series of legal procedures related to picture companies, movies and audios. Thanks to her networking, Zhang managed to obtain proper authorization.

Copyright reminder: the article is originally published on Beijing Film Administration.