[.ca] So Close

Suberb:
I brought this disk because it was recommended by people who brought "Returner" (another excellent movie). I started watching it in English language and very quickly got anoyed with the mis-matched voices, so swapped it back to it's original language with English subtitles. This made the whole thing fit better. This is a classic HK police drama and has an excellent story, albeit a formula one, and some amazing action scenes. For me the best scene is the opener, I loved the music (Karen Carpenter - Close to you) mixed to the background of the office shootout! If you are a fan of HK action/drama movies then you won't be disappointed with this one.

Move over CHARLIE'S ANGELS:
Yes, I am a sucker for Lucy Liu. Though the original CHARLIE'S ANGELS was pretty good with some cool fight scenes, FULL THROTTLE was not. She was THE reason I took interest in the CHARLIE'S ANGELS flicks, even if the martial arts battles in FULL THROTTLE were insipid, banal, and poorly chreographed (at best.) But it looks as though Charlie's so called ANGELS may have some competition from (where else?) Hong Kong. Yes, I am also a sucker for Shu Qi, "Vicki" Zhao Wei, and Karen Mok, and even if the sight of Shu Qi and Vicki Zhao in black cocktail dresses ain't enough for you, the fight scenes will certainly make you wonder why anyone ever entrusted McG with making a decent martial arts film. Let's just go to the scoreboard: FULL THROTTLE-Demi Moore flying off a building in an almost see-through skirt, that stupid thin man showing up for no reason at all, Cameron Diaz constantly giggling like the buck-toothed geek she is, Drew Barrymore performing what may be the weakest spinning hook kick in film history (no wonder why Demi Moore catches her from behind, even though Demi herself is not much better),Lucy Liu dancing circles around everyone else, and making FULL THROTTLE at least somewhat redeemable. SO CLOSE-Shu Qi and Vicki Zhao sparring in their bathroom, Karen Mok beating the snot out of some guys in an elevator, Shu Qi vs Karen Mok in a parking garage, Vicki Zhao and Karen Mok vs Smaurai bad guy, etc. Do you think that even with Lucy Liu, FULL THROTTLE can hold a candle to SO CLOSE? Neither do I.

HeLL!!! VerY DamN close:
I was blown away by the movie. My girlfriend and i saw it together one day, she recomended it. At first, I was thinking "man it's another chick flick, with retarded girls throwing punches back and forth", but then after the first sequence I changed my view completely, I now have more respect for Hong Kong Screenplay writters and Directors. The Plot and sub-plot were carried out so well, props for the writter. The drama part of the movie made my girlfriend near the end, man it got to me too at a certain point the flashback part. But anyway, the Action! unlike any other... definatly OUTSTANDING, way better than Charles' Angels. you know what Charles' Angles is no comparison, man the parking lot scene was THE best! Su qi and xiao wei are like a dynamic dual that kick buTT and Karen MOk man... can do anything. SO CLOSE is a definately a must in your collection. What beats asian chicks fighting in a very unique combination of old shaolin and new street fighting with gun action. Just amazing, on top of that a great plot, and pretty top-notch acting (watch the subtitled if you can't understand chinese, it's way better), oh and last but not least a bit of chick and chick action.

Do Not Build Up to Shoot Down:
In So Close sisters Lynn and Sue (Shu Qi and Vicki Zhao respectively), are a pair of high-tech (and high priced) assassins who inherit, from their late father, a secret weapon: a satellite based surveillance package called World Panorama. World Panorama allows them to hack and use any closed-circuit camera system worldwide. Predictably, or there would be no movie, their current job has its share of complications. Chow (Deric Wan) hires the duo to assassinate his brother in a corporate takeover bid. To add spice to the mix, Hung (Karen Mok) completes the trio of beautiful (and strong) women as the creative but misguided detective investigating this case. There is a tinge of a homoerotic subplot between Hung and Sue that arguably does not satisfy on any level - but let us not let it detract us from the action scenes, cinematography, and almost impossible high tech wizardry. The character of Lynn, conversely, is pulled in another direction. Lynn is involved old love Yen (Song Seung-Hon), which makes her "re-examine" her vocation. Lynn decides she wants out but there are, of course, complications. Sue, not having had any experience doing anything else and eager to prove herself to Lynn sets out to complete the contract - which Lynn asked her to cancel - on her own. Not to do a spoiler here but to Lynn's credit she has been protecting Sue from that side of the business in an effort to protect her from possible future guilt. I guess I can indulge in a little bit of cynicism here - as being an accomplice would not give Sue night chills - I need to constantly remember... it is light. In a move that reminds of the Last Samurai (too many mind) leaving the trade might not be that easy for Lynn after all. For what impact that has on Lynn - you will really need to watch the movie. Okay, let us keep focused on the movie's plus side... the action is entertaining. It has the predictable wire-work that Hong Kong action films are famous for. There is a ton of slow-motion as well as fast-cutting action thrown in the mix. I agree with some out there that arguably the most creative scene comes about halfway through the movie, when Hung finally meets the Lyn and Sue in an elevator. The bathroom scene early on with the two sisters going at it is pure exploitation - but it is fun. The climax scene with Sue and Hung is not to be outdone as it is fast moving but nothing beats the close proximity type scenes to really create a sense of tension. There is the inevitable comparison to Corey Yuen's The Transporter - which I have seen but am now really curious about after having seen So Close. I am, of course still recovering from a Naked Weapon hangover and am worried I am paying to much attention to this genre. While Naked Weapon did not pull any punches - such as a really disturbing rape scene - So Close does not suffer from this very disturbing misogynistic tendency. The slow-motion shots of Shu Qi's allow us to focus on her - but who can complain, really. I certainly did not see the same type of exploitation here so in a fun sort of way we can ascribe some form of female liberation in this movie despite the hypersexualized characters of Lynn, Sue and Hung. Similar to Naked Weapon, So Close is one of those movies that should enjoyed for what it is, pure entertainment. Now, if a "critic" is trying to make a name for him/herself (current writer excluded, of course) it is easy to try to make more of this movie and then shoot it down. That would be wrong. Realistically, about 95% of all the movies out there are light on the social commentary and heavy on the entertainment factor. Corey Yuen's So Close is one of those movies and to call attention to or to ask for a sophisticated plot is simply manipulation. I say see it for what it is and enjoy the special effects and decent action sequences - for a simple fellow like me, it IS enough. Miguel Llora

A perfect example on why looks can be deceiving:
I admire woman who can hold there own and this film says it all. While watching this I couldn't help but to think of Charlies Angels plus the opening scene with Lynn easily marks out the style of this film. "So Close" revolves around a computer program that can hack all the security cameras on earth. Developed by their dad, the program was inherited by Shu Qi and Vicky Zhao after his death, and rather than sell it and make lots of money, they use it to become career assassins - follow your dreams! But after years of busting caps, Shu Qi has become a hurting-on-the-inside kind of lady. Her passion for being a super cool hit woman has cooled and she's starting to feel sorry for the thousands of people she took away. Unable to bring herself to do more than kneecap the legions of goons she used to blithely blow away, she's started to think about getting out of the game, finding a guy, and settling down. Little sis, Vicky Zhao, on the other hand, wants to be like big sis and open many cans of whup a** on veritable armies of henchmen. Karen Mok, a cop who has run into the glass ceiling so hard she's got a concussion, unwinds from all the razzing she gets from her sexist colleagues by pursuing Vicky and Shu Qi and maybe, just maybe, falling for Vicky in the process. Cop/criminal romances are, historically, really bad ideas but it works really well here. Flying bullets, spinning sidekicks, supercomputer balderdash, car chases, and shattering sheets of glass tumble off the screen like an all-you-can-eat action feast and it takes a fight with Japanese screen legend Yasuaki Kurata to bring this whole buffet to a close. Corey Yuen deploys the pop ballad "Close To You" all over the soundtrack and here's a chance for a whole new generation to get it stuck in their heads, associating it with images of Shu Qi dealing out death from nickel-plated 9mm's. "So Close" is a movie that manages the neat trick of being simultaneously super-silly and super-cool. With Corey Yuen bringing years of being Jet Li's action director to the table; and Vicky Zhao, Karen Mok and Shu Qi bringing perfect hair, perfect clothes, and perfect roundhouse kicks, it's like a fashion shoot that cant be beat.