"So Close" (aka "Xi yang tian shi") is a fast paced, high kicking Hong Kong action movie. If you are familiar with the Hong Kong cinema then you know what you are in for here. But while this is not a John Woo movie, then director Cory Yuen does a marvelous job with this movie and proves that he is also a force to be reckoned with.This is an entertaining movie with a good storyline, an impressive cast list, and lots of action. All the ingredients a good action movie needs. However, with that said, I must say that "So Close" is unfortunately not outstanding in the Hong Kong action cinema, and that is a shame, because it doesn't manage to outrun the countless other action movies that has come from the Hong Kong cinema.The story in "So Close" is about two sisters, working as assassins, Lynn (played by Qi Shu) and Sue (played by Wei Zhao). The sisters are at the top of the game, but they are being chased by skilled police officer Hong Yat Hong (played by Karen Mok).It is the storyline and the characters that drives the movie, and it is well complimented by the action sequences. And it is nice to have an action movie which does offer more than just a spectacle of martial arts and gunfights. But it is also the performances of the cast that helps to drive the movie, because the cast was selected nicely to portray the various roles throughout the movie. Especially Shu Qi and Karen Mok were impressive in "So Close".I do enjoy "So Close" and think it is a good movie, but I have to settle on a six out of ten star rating, as the movie failed to stand out in the vast ocean of action movies that has come from the Hong Kong cinema.

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.

Two sisters, Lynn (Shu Qi) and Sue (Vicki Zhao). are on a crusade to eliminate corruption at the highest level. Only they do it by killing the evildoers. Naturally these kinds of activities attract the police and one inspector in particular named Hong Yat Hong (Karen Mok) who is determined to catch them. A large part of So Close is about the sisters, Hong and how they interact with each other. Essentially the three are equal to each other on many levels and would have made a great team together. If not for the fact that they are each others adversaries. Despite this Sue and Hong have a mutual attraction to each other which results in a playful cat and mouse play between the two. The two sisters are tight but younger sister Sue is a little fed up being treated as such and rebels causing some friction between them although we do learn that these sisters have each others back all the way. Normally in action films like this I hardly pay attention to the story. However in this film it's essential because it does add to the dynamics between the three main characters and helps make the action scenes more exciting. Even when the story itself is as average as in most action flicks of this type I do commend Corey Yuen hinting lesbian love and keeping it tasteful. I wonder if that truly was his own idea or that it was the actresses who came up with it. But it certainly made the characters more compelling. So good job nonetheless. Director Corey Yuen also choreographed the action and then you simply know that good action is guaranteed. However it is obvious that actresses Shu Qi, Vicky Zhao and Karen Mok aren't trained in martial arts and therefore their fights and stunts are enhanced with the use of slow motion and CGI. Surprisingly the way it's done is very effective so I wasn't bothered by it at all. Besides the sword fight in the finale is CGI free and is very well choreographed. One legitimate complaint one could have is that it takes a while for the action to really kick off. Almost a full hour and seven minutes to be exact. But then you can be certain you will be served some good and exciting action so it's very much worth the wait.Overall So Close is a very enjoyable and effective action flick mostly because of Corey Yuen's choreography and the likability of the three main characters. Both the action and the attractive women provide some scrumptious eye candy and who can resist that.

I really enjoyed this movie. This time, it's not Chinese male who rule an action movie, but Chinese women. But above that I really enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters. How a movie is touching you depend of your life. I lost my parents I lost my daughter and may be this is why I was touched by this movie. I would like to have the version of close to you from this movie. I also liked the play with the camera. One of my favorite scene, is when Lynn (in the french version) jump out of the window (at the beginning) while her sister is asking her to not forget the cake.Martial