Set in the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, the film follows four Chinese Communist Party agents who parachute back to Harbin[5] in Northeastern China in the early 1930s. Together, they embark on a secret operation code-named “Utrenya” (Russian: утреня) that intends to extract a former prisoner who could expose the unethical human experimentation and other crimes against humanity committed by Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army in front of the international community. Upon landing, the team members split into two groups to avoid being captured and tortured to sell out their loved ones on the other group. They are also ready to sacrifice themselves by ingesting cyanide-equivalent pills contained in a match box. Soon after their separation, group 1 discover that their local contacts are actually enemies in disguise. They manage to escape the trap, but also realize they had been sold out by a traitor, who caved after being tortured and witnessing the execution of his fellow comrades.
Cast
Zhang Yi as Zhang Xianchen, a former journalist-turned CPC agent
Yu Hewei as Zhou Yi, a CPC agent embedded within the enemy
The original score was composed by Jo Yeong-wook, whereas the eponymous theme song is composed by the band RadioMars and performed by Zhou Shen.[10][11]
Release
The movie was released on April 30, 2021 in both China and the United States. In China, it is released in IMAX, CINITY, Dolby Cinema, etc.[12] In the United States, it is distributed by China Media Capital.
Reception
Cliff Walkers received a 82% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[13]
