SO CLOSE is an unwieldy combine of high energy and poor production values. Certainly as a film it bears little artistic merit, coming across as unfocused and rather cheesy throughout; the CGI and wire effects (which sometimes mimic THE MATRIX) are completely unbelievable and the film opens with possibly the worst, most over the top set-piece in the history of cinema.Thankfully things settle down a little after that and the film steps into gear, becoming a cat and mouse game between the police and the antiheroes propelling the narrative. Basically, there are a couple of assassins who are involved in a feud with a large organisation; this feud consists of each side constantly trying to kill the other. Meanwhile, a dedicated female cop and her sidekick are trying to catch them.There's no more to it than that, and for the most part SO CLOSE trades on the charisma of its female stars. Shu Qi (THE TRANSPORTER) is the icy femme fatale, Zhao Wei (MULAN) her technology-adept sister. Karen Mok (THE MAN OF TAI CHI) is the cop, and Yasuaki Kurata has a guest role as a random villain who inevitably gets a big fight scene with the girls at the climax.The action in this one isn't too shabby, but then you'd expect it to be good with Cory Yuen at the helm. Sadly this is one of his lesser efforts and it's a big comedown from the likes of POLICE ASSASSINS back in the 1980s. It is kind of fun, though, in its own cheesy way, and I'd rather sit through it again than watch the US CHARLIE'S ANGELS films.

Qi Shu (The Eye 2) appeared in six films in 2002, one of which was The Transporter. While we didn't get to see her in action in that film, we sure do in this one. She made me forget all about Jet Li with her moves. But, she wasn't the only one with moves, as her nemesis, Inspector Hong Yat Hong (Karen Mok) was equally good, and a battle they had in a parking garage really got the blood pumping as it was just about to get very interesting until the bad guys showed up and they had to join forces temporarily.Qi Shu was the Computer Angel, as assassin, who finally was betrayed and killed. At that time was born an avenging angel in the form of her sister Sue (Wei Zhao), who had equally impressive abilities, including magnificent swordsmanship.Wei Zhao and Karen Mok joined together to avenge Lynn and eliminate the bad guys. I have never seen such fantastic marital arts displayed. It was utterly amazing, mostly due to the choreography of Corey Yuen (War, Fist of Fury) and Jianyong Gao. Fortunately, we will get to see Corey Yuen's work again this year in John Woo's Red Cliff, starring Wei Zhao and Tony Leung.

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

I thought this movie would be just a Hong Kong version of Charlie's Angels, but it is not. The movie was about two sisters who became professional killers because of their traumatic childhood of witnessing the murder of their father. Their father has developed a high-tech GPS technology just before his death. The sisters used this technology to aid them in their profession. The effect used on this movie is a lot like Matrix'. I thought the movie used the effect properly and therefore, the movie itself is a lot of fun to watch. The storyline is rather predictable, so also is the drama. However the fighting scene is cutting edge. Any scene that can make Vicky Zhao (Zhao Wei) looks like a vicious fighter is worth seeing :)