So Close (2002)

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This movie is so flashy and fast put together, that it starts to look and feel like an overdone attempt, with lots of (ridicoules) computer gadgets and fighting sequences. The style works in the wrong way, especially in the action sequences. I'm sorry but I really found the action sequences to be very laughable and completely overdone. It always seems weird to me how Asian action movies constantly seem to be stealing from The Matrix movies, with both their action and style. As if Asian action movies need that. This movie also unfortunately is an example of this.The editing is way too fast and to me it seemed like it was done in a very childish and predictable way. Again, as if they were just trying to hard.It also gets sort of annoying after a while that there constantly is a ventilator aimed at Qi Shu in basically every action sequence.The movie has some irritating and weird choices in the use of music, as is the original movie score on its own, that just does not seem to fit the movie very well.The movie features some bad acting. Even though I don't speak the language I could tell that the actors really weren't much good, in the way they were delivering their lines.The story isn't that much special. It's not very well developed and the movie isn't really going anywhere. The movie too often seems to be concentrating more on the personal and the drama rather than its action, which seemed weird to me, since this is a movie that's made completely in action movie style. Sure, it has some interesting developments and themes in it, such as lesbianism and it's a nice approach that all of the action heroes in this movie are women. So it's a real feminist action flick but that perhaps is the only real good and original element about this movie.OK I did not found this movie to be terrible but it was just lacking on so many fronts. In all fairness it remains a perfectly watchable movie but only to kill some time with and if you have nothing better to do. The movie was unfortunately not as good and certainly not as original as I initially hoped.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Okay, so lacking Shu Qi's massive sex appeal, Wei Zhoa does possess her own charm, beauty and is by far a superior actress; her action scenes also seem to be of a different class.This one takes a few leaves from The Killer's book, tosses in some girl power, a bit of sci-fi-like technology and plenty of high kicks. The result is a script which was severely lacking and action sequences which shine! But then, considering that this was probably made for 15 year old boys, that's just fine.The plot is simple: two sisters are an assassin duo: one works the tunes and the other busts the moves. They complete a hit, only are then made targets by their previous (and insecure) contractor.A female cop who can hold her own in kung fu street fight and has the screen presence to justify her casting in this otherwise "babefest", then makes it a personal crusade to hunt the sisters down.All in all it's a pretty enjoyable film: the first 50 minutes show some really horrible scripting of memories and emotions, yet the nice touches later on almost make up for them.A nice flick for an evening with the boys, which almost redeems its poor writing with the action... a pity then that the script wasn't polished before production or it could have scored an 8 instead of a 5.The lesbian references were totally uncalled for.

So Close is THE movie that hooked me onto foreign cinema. Like many Americans I was ignorant to everything except horribly dubbed martial arts films from the 1970s. I visited my video store one day and noticed So Close in the Action section, immediately assuming that it would be a good film to laugh at. Subsequent to watching this film, however, I was confused. Had I just inadvertently watched an EXCELLENT film? Yes, I had! My criteria for excellence is quite simply entertainment value, regardless of the genre (i.e., drama, horror, action, romance, etc.). And yes, there are serious dramas that are quite frankly NOT entertaining, and therefore NOT good movies, regardless of how many awards the "official critics" want to give them. In like manner, there are actioners that are VERY entertaining, and therefore VERY good movies, regardless of how negatively the "official critics" want to rate them. Keeping this in mind, So Close is simply BURSTING with entertainment value.First of all, the action sequences are very well done, and are highlighted by the final infiltration of a corporate high-rise, which ends with an absolutely CLASSIC three-way swordfight. The choreography (both gunplay and swordplay) is phenomenal, and puts the vast majority of actioners to shame. It is admitted that this film focuses more on finesse than the power and brutality of Hong Kong films released in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This is actually a good thing when one considers the originality of the movements and the length of the scenes themselves, which greatly exceed most of the action sequences in previous (and subsequently released) movies. The stylish protagonists use a treasure chest of items – satellite imagery, high-frequency earrings, guns, wall-piercing high heels, miniature grappling hooks, swords, decoy programs, bamboo sticks, etc. – in a wide variety of ways to eliminate the antagonists. The sheer diversity that is showcased in this film is enough to overpower three typical action films put together. Finally, it is a delight to experience action sequences where the characters actually DO something, instead of making theatre poses and shooting little glowing balls at each other (as in Storm Riders and A Man Called Hero). It is also a delight to see carefully choreographed movements, instead of slide-shows with chaotic camera-work that makes the scenes completely impossible to follow (as in Ashes of Time).One important point to be made is that this film contributes characters that are LOVABLE. Regardless of who is present on screen (Zhao, Karen, Shu, or Yasuaki), it is an enjoyable experience. This adds significant entertainment value for scenes shown in-between fights, and therefore enables So Close to avoid the incessant boredom that most actioners inflict upon their viewers.In fact, So Close BLOWS AWAY virtually every other Chinese action movie from the apparent "Golden Age" era of the 1980s and 1990s (with the exception of a limited few, which include Hard Boiled, Fist of Legend, and She Shoots Straight). I almost feel sorry for anyone who is willing to cite movies like Yes Madam, Royal Warriors, In the Line of Duty 3, Women on the Run, Naked Killer, or The Big Heat – none of which can hold a candle to So Close (in terms of action, characters, or sheer entertainment value).Was this film so groundbreaking that it single-handedly opened the flood gates to an entirely new realm of cinema for me to explore? Is So Close the primary reason that I have thusfar viewed over 900 Chinese, Japanese, and Korean movies over the few years and have added over 300 more in my online rental queue? Yes, it was! Rating = 5/5 stars

HK has always been able to produce quality movies. Chicks kicking the ass out of guys is just always a great ride. You see these 3 hot girls, who are smooth and graceful.The action is unbelievable. It's what you expect from HK, but it still bothers me that the glass cgi are visible fake. The acting is solid, but after all u don't need Oscar type of acting in these kind of film. I found Shu Qi to be the most sexy and captured the best performance. The others where great too.SPOILERS AHEADThere are only 2 things i didn't like: 1. Shu Qi death 2. Some bad CGI and simple plotEND SPOILERSOtherwise this is a great film to watch. It's sometimes funny, it has some h'wood type of drama, and of course it has HK action. So it's very very very Sexy, Action-packed, and entertaining.8/10 Because of the 2 things i disliked