“So Close” Theatrical Poster
Director: Corey Yuen
Cast: Shu Qi, Vicky Zhao Wei, Karen Mok, Song Seung Heon, Ben Lam, Yasuaki Kurata, Deric Wan, Sek Sau, Jude Poyer, Ricardo Mamood, Michael Wei, Henry Fong, Gam Hing Yin, Wong So Bik, May Gwong Man Chun
Running Time: 111 min
By Reefer
During the preposterous opening of Cory Yuen’s action thriller, So Close, I thought I was going to be treated to a half-assed rehashing of the Charlie’s Angels movie from a few years back. After all, watching Shu Qui, dressed in a white designer outfit, sashay into a skyscraper, armed with only her wits, a pair of high heels, and some sunglasses, only to bust some Matrix-influenced moves and smirk confidently at the resulting chaos, instantly leads one to draw those parallels. Moreover, scattered throughout are enough bra and panty scenes, bath tub settings, and skimpy outfits to satisfy a legion of stalkers. Obviously, Corey did not want to ignore the most devout demographic.
But I am happy to report that So Close is better than that. Even though, it often sticks too closely to the ‘Hitman movie’ cookbook. You know, a regretful killer, a die hard cop. Two sides of the same coin stuff. Much of what unfolds could easily be misconstrued as a feminine version of John Woo’s The Killer. But those comparisons end when the film concentrates on Zhou Wen’s sister role. Her impressive portrayal as the impetuous, computer savvy sister serves as a counterpoint to Shu Qui’s relentless killer. Karen Mok is equally enthralling as the very butch forensics cop hot on their trail.
Unlike many other male-dominated action pics, all three female leads are well fleshed out characters. Cory Yuen seemed comfortable letting the women open up. Maybe that is the advantage of leading an estrogen-fueled production. There are many scenes that are clearly meant to be emotional. Some of those scenes work but some unfortunately do not. Most importantly, So Close seems to care as much about what’s going on in the characters’ lives and their motivations as it is in the employment of stunt doubles, setting up car chases, and unleashing fire power.
Hey, lets talk about the fire power, while we are at it. After establishing the level of reality that the film will fearlessly take on with the rather fanciful opening sequence, the film settles into a nice sustained level of mayhem. There are about three or four very large scale action set pieces, before the finale, that are quite thrilling, warranting several taps on the rewind/reverse button. The only thing not working for the action scenes is Shu Qui herself. As graceful as she appears, she fails to convince me of her character’s skills. When she throws a kick, she looks like a ballerina not Bruce Lee. When she points a gun, it might as well be a hair dryer because there doesn’t seem to be enough intensity behind it. These criticisms might be a little harsh, mind you, but she will ultimately be compared to some of the best actresses of the ‘Girls With Guns’ genre. Unfortunately, in those comparisons, she will come up pretty weak because of this. The other two actresses fair much better in this respect.
The grand finale is really something special. Featuring the blade work of none other than Yasuaki Kurata, this is a future fight classic, employing the best choreography I have seen in a long time. Makes me want to check out more of Kurata’s work. Ferocious, acrobatic, and intense, do not miss the end fight to this film. That is really all I can say about it without spoiling the fun.
Though The Transporter doesn’t support this theory, I think Corey Yuen has become more of a complete filmmaker, less prone to the excess of his cinematic past. Soon, he will no longer be known as the guy who choreographs Jet Li’s American films. Part of me would like to see him try something more psychological than physical next. Nonetheless, I am excited to see the next phase of his career.
Reefer’s Rating: 8/10
