With its spies, secrets, and super-secret code names, Zhang Yimou’s “Cliff Walkers” is seemingly the Chinese director’s version of James Bond. But that’s where the comparisons end. While the Bond films are sexy, suave, and aimed-at-your-heart, Yimou’s film is cold, distant, and aimed-at-your-soul, trading thrills for a mystifying moodiness.

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The film is based on a script by Quan Yongxian, who spent three years researching spycraft.

Continue reading ‘Cliff Walkers’: Zhang Yimou’s Riff On James Bond Is Perhaps His Most Restrained Film Yet [Review] at The Playlist.

Filmmaker Zhang Yimou returns to U.S. theaters with the film “Cliff Walkers.” Set in the 1930s, ‘Walkers’ introduces viewers to a new perspective on espionage thrillers. It’s also a departure for an acclaimed director whose filmography includes the wuxia action hits “Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers,” “The Flowers of War” with Christian Bale, and the Matt Damon-led “The Great Wall.” The script hails from Quan Yongxian, the newcomer to cinematic credits, builds off his previous series work to craft this dramatic entry into the espionage and spy genre.

Continue reading ‘Cliff Walkers’ Trailer: Zhang Yimou Returns With A Wintry Dramatic Spy Thriller at The Playlist.