Written by: Michael Den Boer on April 12th, 2004
Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 2002
Director: Corey Yuen
Writer: Jeff lau
Cast: Qi Shu, Vicki Zhao, Karen Mok
DVD Released: January 6th, 2004
Approximate Running Time: 111 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: R
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Cantonese, Dolby Digital 5.1 Mandarin, Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Stereo French
Subtitles: English, French, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai
DVD Release: Columbia / TriStar
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: $24.96
Synopsis: Zhao Wei and Shu Qi star as Sue and Lynn, two professional assassin sisters who use an advanced software technology of their father’s called World Panorama. The program can tap into any camera system in the world and their father was killed by ruthless business men before he could hand over the Panorama to the police. Now the sisters use the Panorama to help them with their vigilante work. Lynn introduces herself as the Computer Angel as the receptionist directs Lynn upstairs for her meeting with a drug king pin. Lynn knocks off the boss with her sunglasses that have toxic gas in them.
Back at home as the hit is going down, Sue jams surveillance systems while she watches her sisters every move. Sue plays over the sound system in the building Close To you as a theme song as her sister Lynn escapes. Kong Yat Hong (Karen Mok) is a rookie on the police force who has been assigned to find the Computer Angel. When an old flame of Lynn’s returns to town love blossoms again and Lynn wants out of the professional assassin business. Fate would draw Lynn back in when her sister Sue proceeds with a job on her own and gets into trouble.
So Close is directed by famed action choreographer Corey Yeun (The Transporter, The Enforcer) and has three hot Asian actresses Zhao Wei, Shu Qi and Karen Mok . These girls can kick some serious ass and they look good doing it. Burt Bacharach’s song (They Long to be) Close to you works extremely well with the action in this film. The tempo of So Close makes it more engaging than most action films out there and at least when it comes to eye candy, this film has its fair share. Shu Qi spends much of the film lounging around in various states of near undress. I don’t know where the comparisons between So Close and Charlie’s Angels came from since So Close is everything Charlie’s Angels wished it could be.
The DVD:
The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer boasts colors that are vibrant and the black levels are deep, there is no grain or edge enhancement. The transfer really shows off the action in the film and the beautiful cinema photography.
There are several audio options on this DVD, Cantonese, Mandarin, and English in Dolby Digital 5.1 and there is a French audio track in Dolby Surround. The sound is very powerful, blasting out the speakers in a most satisfying manner. The dialogue is clear and free of distortion. The surround sound effects are very strong and good left-right separation too.
The only extras are trailers for So Close, Big Shots’s Funeral, Black Mask 2: City of Masks, both Charlie’s Angels movies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Double Vision and Returner. If you like Guns and kick ass action with attractive looking women in the leads then So Close is worth at least a rental. If you are a fan of Hong Kong action films in general then So Close is must have in your collection.