Customer Reviews

Chik yeung tin si

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First you need to forive a couple of things before you can truely enjoy this movie, like the thin plot and the pluasibility of the characters, other than that, this movie is pretty good, for obvious reasons- the well-cheographed fight scenes and it's a fresh change having chicks do the fighting.

Shu Qi gets top billing and yes, she's gorgeous, but I think you'll be more impress with Karen Mok. She might not have the lucscious lips or the obvious sex appeal, but she has an edgy, gritty physical presence which is important if you're gonna be an action movie star ( maybe she already is, this is the first time I've seen her in a movie). You can believe it when she's punching, kicking and flying thru the air because physically she is convincing. Unlike Shu Qi, who seem a tad bit fragile and she looked like she was hung on a wire a lot for the more demanding fight sequence. I also like Vicky Zhao. She's terrific as the younger, less competent sister and the heavy acting was all left to her. The handcuffed fight scene with Qi and Mok is something to marvel at and will undoubtedly be copied. The clean high tech cinematography is hard to ignore. It is a study in geometry, angles and physics, specially with the flying bullets and glass everywhere. This is well illustrated in the last shot out by the stairway.
There's a lot to be admired in this movie like the many imaginative ways of shooting a gun; upside down, downside up,sidedays, by ways, falling down, twisting and the overall imagination of the filmakers. As a Hong Kong, over-the-top action flick--- It delivers! Just don't think too much when you're watching this movie. Concentrate more on the gun fights, sword fights and kung fu fights. I did find a few things annoying though. For example, the Mok and Zhao characters- were they suppose to be attracted to each other, and what was that kiss about? they could have at least done it right and gone for a full on lip lock titaliting threatment it deserved, outherwise why bother throwing in this little sublot at the end. Also a couple of the fight scenes were so techinical and crisp that you feel like picking up your supernintendo control pad and playing along. Ultimately I give this movie a generous rating because it doesn't fail to deliver its promise- ACTION and lots of it. The DVD doesn't have any extras but be thankful it offers a lot of language and subtitle options for some of us that wish to see the movie in its original sound. If you're not too uptight and don't sweat the little details, you'll enjoy this movie.

[WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN A SPOILER]

That pretty much says it all. True, an important character dies during the film, but this is a very daring move on the part of the director. I do not care for main characters getting killed, but once in a while it's okay. It gives my "film reality" a jolt, something it needs. As a female assassin, Shu Qi ranks at the top rank of cinematic killers. I have no doubt that she could kill Arnold, Clint Eastwood or Mel Gibson in any film roles. She is also so easy on the eyes that her anti-social job is acceptable. The action is top notch, as is the cinematography. Hong Kong Cinema is far ahead of any other and it shows here. Rating: 8 out of 10.

I'm a movie addict who's been getting tired of the same old Hollywood crap, so I decided to try some cool looking asian films. Take it from me, it's a refreshing experience. I saw the "So Close" trailer on the "Returner" DVD, & I wrongly assumed it would be a cheesy movie with girls, guns & Karate. I was so wrong! This has officially become one of my new favorite movies. - Excellent Action (Best sword fight in recent history) - with a good P L O T! Try that Hollywood!

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.

I've seen enough Hong Kong actioners to know that they fall into two principal categories: (1) those that are terrific and ignore the possible logic problems of the story or (2) those that are terrific and completely toss logic to the wind. Believe it or not, SO CLOSE actually gravitates between both of these groups.

The film tries to be so much more than what it is: a statement on family loyalty, a testament to budding lesbianism, a barrier-breaking MATRIX-style adventure ... one could go on and on. The subplot involving the two sisters dependence upon one another to complete a single assassination job is a bit heavy on the overall weight of the film, but you can't fault the writer for attempting to give these glitzy girls some depth ... and you certainly can't hold the actresses responsible for giving it their best shot.

Taken as a thrill pill, SO CLOSE works very well on many levels. The pacing is intense, the photography is very well done, the choreography (especially the climax) is exciting, and the performances are better than average. Sure, some comparisons to the look of the flick being dangerously close to a REVLON commercial are merited, but SO CLOSE was never intended to be high art: it is pure popcorn, and it can be enjoyed very well on that level.

Kick back. Get yourself a beer. Start this DVD in the machine and enjoy three beautiful Asian women kicking some real mean butt and shooting some very powerful guns.

Life is good.

Perhaps, I shouldn't relate this to the American made "Charlie's Angel's" films (those are embarrassingly cheesy), but they did get "plugged" as trailer's on this DVD of "So Close".

Qi Shu, dressed in a white suit, is so hot! I was hesitant to watch this film because someone told me that it's just another "Charlie's Angel's" type film only asian style.

Well, I'd give any movie a try that has gorgeous girls in it. Especially asian and indian films, but this one had some typical american style blockbuster action that helped sell itself to the American audience.

These girls are beautiful, and their roles were very stylish. Qi Shu's little sister Zhao Wei portrays a very innocent, however ambitious, partner with her sister in following up on their murdered father's high-tech computer satellite surveillance technology.

Karen Mok plays a rookie detective who is after these two clever killers-for-hire however she learns more about their "morally-sound higher purpose" intentions and struggles with her job as an undercover detective, and wanting to help the girls with their intentions of saving the world from high-tech corruption.

Other slightly cheesy "babefest" films that I would like to recommend are "D.E.B.S.", "Chasing Papi", "Bride and Prejudice" (Indian film with Aishwarya Rai), "Mean Girls", "View From The Top", "Man of the House", and "Alfie" (with Jude Law). And I'm sure that there are plenty more films where just being a "babefest" on film is the overall intention.

Another important asian film (made in America) is "The Joy Luck Club".

I try not to take movies too seriously. I usually enjoy the art of the visuals more. And seeing pretty girls being kinda "dingy" has a way of being fun, too. However, this movie had beautiful "intelligent" girls.

However, for the sake of "babefests", for some reason, I just couldn't get into "Charlie's Angel's". The original TV series of Charlie's Angel's is still great though.

With non-stop heart-pounding action, this was a very entertaining movie, even though the plot was thin, and the violence was sometimes gratuitous. The Hong Kong scenery and style more than make up for the minor deficiencies, and the soundtrack fits in very well. I had the music stuck in my head for days. This movie maybe tries a litle too hard to be "edgy", throwing in a sexual conversation and a subtle lesbian subplot that seem to serve no other purpose. For this, I deducted one star, but overall I really enjoyed the movie and have already watched it twice in Cantonese with English subtitles.

Corey Yuen's So Close is the ultimate guy flick. You got three of Asia's sexiest actresses (Vicki Zhao, Su Qi and Karen Mok - in that particular order!!!) in a Mission Impossible-like caper, performing jaw-dropping stunts, brandishing high-powered firearms and doing some lesbian flirting.

I watched this movie for Vicki Zhao (also known as Zhao Wei) and Su Qi alone, but I was really impressed and satisfied by Corey Yuen's flashy set pieces, especially Su Qi's assault into a high-tech building in the opening sequence.

And oh yeah, there's also a plot! It's straight out of geekdom, With Su Qi and her sister Zhao Wei as assassins for hire, out to take revenge on the people who killed their parents because of their dad's invention, a high-tech, powerful Big Brother surveillance software. Standing on their way is a big evil corporation and its thugs, led by a CEO with samurai delusions.

Exciting and fast-paced, So Close gives thrills and overall entertainment enough for three Hollywood movies. On second thought, it has so much going and the storytelling is not that fluid, it feels like three Hollywood movies

I sat through Corey Yuen's The Transporter because Jason Statham was so cool in Guy Ritchie's films. While viewing that, I was captivated by Qi Shu, which is probably not too difficult to comprehend after seeing her. On that note, when I found this movie selling for $10, I picked it up.

I really wasnt expecting much, other than beautiful women and some wire-fu.

However, I had a fabulous time watching this. For what this film lacks in originality, it makes up for in visual entertainment and style. Granted, even the style seems greatly influenced by John Woo, Yuen Wo Ping, Luc Besson, and Hollywood, but regardless it was such a cool viewing experience.

The filming locations are great, the CGI is cool (a little too much in some scenes, but overall well done), the wire-fu didnt irritate me too much, and the charisma of the acting talent was breathtaking. Im also a guy, and Asian, so Im sure the fact that they are beautiful Asian women kept my attention, but they still packed some serious Asian flair. Furthermore, there was very little exposed flesh, but the facial features and the hair, not to mention the outfits (and the women themselves), were simply stunning. I also enjoyed how one of the villains was the gent from Jet Li's Fist of Legend. He was very cool in that film, and was equally enthralling here.

The basic plot itself is nothing award winning, but the few twists and turns really helped it. The soundtrack was pretty good, and fit into the slow motion scenes well. I had just finished watching an episode of The Simpsons where Marge buys the musical doorbell playing "Close to You", so when the song came on it threw me for a laugh, but it was a nice sharp contrast to the action on-screen. Both the sword fighting scenes and the John Woo gunslinging were entertaining, but the parking lot fight scene was fabulous.

I am really proud of myself for investing money into this film. Its definitely lots of eye candy, but theres nothing wrong with that. Oddly enough, I ended up being more captivated by Vicki Zhao than Qi Shu. Whenever she gave that slightly angled look at the camera it made me sit a little closer to the TV.

But anyway, this is a great action flick, fitted with girls kicking some serious butt, some pretty cool cinematography, good fight scenes, and a very high entertainment value.

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.