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So Close

Original title: Chik yeung tin si
  • 2002
  • R
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
Karen Mok, Shu Qi, and Wei Zhao in So Close (2002)
Home Video Trailer from Columbia Tristar
Play trailer1:31
1 Video
25 Photos
ActionCrimeThriller

A conflict of interest between two high-kicking assassin sisters is complicated as they're pursued by the criminals who hired them and an equally high-kicking female cop.A conflict of interest between two high-kicking assassin sisters is complicated as they're pursued by the criminals who hired them and an equally high-kicking female cop.A conflict of interest between two high-kicking assassin sisters is complicated as they're pursued by the criminals who hired them and an equally high-kicking female cop.

  • Director
    • Corey Yuen
  • Writer
    • Jeffrey Lau
  • Stars
    • Shu Qi
    • Wei Zhao
    • Karen Mok
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    8.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Corey Yuen
    • Writer
      • Jeffrey Lau
    • Stars
      • Shu Qi
      • Wei Zhao
      • Karen Mok
    • 75User reviews
    • 53Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    So Close
    Trailer 1:31
    So Close

    Photos25

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    Top cast29

    Edit
    Shu Qi
    Shu Qi
    • Lynn
    Wei Zhao
    Wei Zhao
    • Sue
    Karen Mok
    Karen Mok
    • Kong Yat Hung
    Song Seung-heon
    Song Seung-heon
    • Yen
    Yasuaki Kurata
    Yasuaki Kurata
    • Master
    Deric Wan
    Deric Wan
    • Chow Nunn
    • (as Derek Wan)
    Sau Shek
    Sau Shek
    • Chow Lui
    • (as Sau Sek)
    Michael Wai
    • Ma Siu Ma
    Ben Lam
    Ben Lam
    • Ben
    Ricardo Mamood-Vega
    Ricardo Mamood-Vega
    • Peter
    • (as Ricmamood)
    Josie Ho
    Josie Ho
    • Ching
    • (as Josephine Ho)
    Sheung Mo Lam
    • Lai Kai-joe
    May Kwong
    • May
    Henry Fong
    Henry Fong
    • Dad
    • (as Fong Ping)
    Hee Ching Paw
    Hee Ching Paw
    • Mom
    Tats Lau
    Tats Lau
    • Secret King
    • (as Lau Yee Tat)
    Hing-Yin Kam
    Hing-Yin Kam
    • Captain
    So Pik Wong
    So Pik Wong
    • May
    • Director
      • Corey Yuen
    • Writer
      • Jeffrey Lau
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews75

    6.68.3K
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    Featured reviews

    7sarastro7

    Why do Birds of Prey suddenly appear...

    "So Close" is a terribly unremarkable and uncharismatic title for a movie that should have been called, simply, "Sexy Action Chicks!". There's a lot of cool action and style, mostly to do with wire-aided martial arts and the three immensely appealing leading ladies, who were obviously having fun doing this. So if you like Asian action and kick-ass heroines, this is a must-see.

    The premise with two girls being an action team, one a computer whiz and the other a field agent, is extremely similar to the comic book "Birds of Prey", which was also a short-lived (but abominably bad) TV series recently. Being martial arts assassins, the characters can also be compared with other comic book action chicks like Elektra or Lady Shiva, or, for that matter, Danger Girl. This movie seems very comics inspired.

    Unfortunately, there is also some bad news: the story is pretty awful. In fact, you hardly notice it. The film-makers almost appear to have forgotten about it. Once again Asian producers do not realize the importance of having a proper plot. This is formulaic assassin/police/revenge clichés ad nauseam, with nothing even remotely original or surprising. One of the girls has a crush on the female police officer, and while that's sure-fire fodder for male fantasies, it's also gratuitously voyeuristic. Oh well, peace be with that - I admit I enjoyed it! Also, this was the first time I saw Karen Mok (outside of cameos), and she made a great impression. She's not drop-dead gorgeous, but she makes what she has go a long way! And she's a very sympathetic kind of person.

    The CG effects were a little grating, esp. all the smashing glass. You'd think it would have been cheaper to just use real glass - but I guess they didn't wanna clean up afterward! Some of the other effects, like the elevators and many of the shots of the office building, were very well made.

    I would have liked to rate this movie very highly, but at the end of the day it doesn't have much substance. It does however have beautiful women, some cool fight scenes, and great style. The entertainment value is definitely not bad, but I can't rate it higher than a 7 out of 10.

    (Edit: Actually, yes I can! In hindsight I think it has enough intriguing elements, also story-wise, to warrant an 8 rating, and that is what I have now revised my rating to.)
    long-ford

    Excellent stunts in Hong Kong entertainer

    I found this film wildly implausible but hugely entertaining. It's no masterpiece but surely an excellent piece of popcorn cinema from Hong Kong. The martial arts make the movie. Without these high-caliber stunts, the film wouldn't work. Some of these are cheesy and over the top. Yet they are performed with energy and I can see why this film is liked by fans of martial arts. The storyline sags a bit in the mid-section but makes up for it with a slightly overlong but exciting climax. Worth seeing if you are a fan of Hong Kong cinema or just enjoy martial arts.

    Overall 7/10
    The Spectacular Spider-Man

    Possibly the nicest movie about professional killers ever made

    Despite the fact that this is a super-slick action thriller with guns, swords, cars and martial arts, So Close is a refreshing and unusual movie. It's NICE, to put it simply. Lovely girls, dressed in white much of the time, hanging around their picturesque house messing around and eating cakes and having baths. Despite all the asses they kick, they actually behave like young women and not ultra-agressive 'I-want-to-be-a-man' type female heroes, like Xena or Sarah Connor.

    The action is sleek and graceful - feminine. It's also rather slow and lo-key compared to most films of this nature. The real action doesn't come until the climax, but when it does, director Corey Yuen pulls out all the stops, climaxing in a two-against-one sword fight that ranks alongside that of The Phantom Menace.

    Despite how it's advertised, So Close is not a skinflick. The women are certainly not sex objects. They are sexy, but in a wholesome way. It's their natural beauty rather than their sex appeal that is most noticable.

    So Close is a great movie, and should entertain any mainstream audience regardless of their farmiliarity of Asian films.
    7valheruGhost

    Hong Kong at its best

    This movie demonstrates Hong Kong movie making at it's best. Martial arts, CG work and an engaging story. The fights scenes are flashy without being overdone and the quieter parts of the movie are not too long winded. The performances of the three leading ladies are well balanced however the supporting cast let the side down a little. All in all a good movie that demonstrates Hong Kong directors and producers ability to take the Hollywood recipe and re-mix it. How many Hollywood directors would put the Carpenter's song "Close to you" over a gun battle? Definitely one for the collection if only for the fight scenes, but watchable for the story as well.
    bob the moo

    Nothing original but still quite fun with some good fights and touches

    Lynn and Sue are sisters whose father developed a cutting edge global surveillance tool before he and his wife were murdered for it. As a result of this the sisters became hired killers, with Lynn doing the killing and Sue guiding and advising remotely. When they complete a major job it leads to two events - firstly, their employer looks to silence them by killing them, and second, a driven cop, Hong, picks up their trail and begins to hunt them down.

    As many of the audience for this film likely were, I was attracted to this film by the beautiful women on the dvd cover just as much as I was by the promise of martial arts action. The plot starts out as the standard thing with hired killers and `tough cops who are out to get them but also admire/relate to them', so nothing new there. Meanwhile the action is good but it will be standard fare for HK fans (in fact, for most of the world now thanks to Hollywood embracing it's style), although, having said that it is still entertaining even if I always find the very unnatural looking wire work to be a bit offputting.

    The opening scene, where Lynn expertly moves through an office block to the strains of `why do birds etc' easily marks out the style of the film (not original, but fun) and the fights are good and have a good dramatic sense to them. The plot may well be seen elsewhere but it still has good touches and twists that will come as a surprise to many despite the familiarity of the plot basics. The cast are pretty good. The two lead actresses, Qi and Zhao, both play their roles with confidence and, needless to say, they are both very easy on the eye (and then some!). Mok is pretty but looks ugly next to these two - however she has a good character and has a fun, tough attitude. The support cast are evil bad guys and comedy sidekick cops, they all do what they are supposed to do, but to be honest the focus is always going to be the main women.

    Overall, this film is not anything original or special but it is still quite good fun with plenty of stylish action. The plot has just enough going for it to carry it off, while the leads' good looks and appealing characters are a draw in themselves. Fans of the genre should enjoy it even if it doesn't stand out.

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    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      Hong is accused of having concrete evidence supporting her apparent murder of Lynn - yet she had a solid alibi chasing Sue with other cops. The evidence is obviously barely circumstantial - a strand of hair and a necklace planted at the scene. Forensics would have picked this up and Hong's fellow officers would have confirmed her alibi. There was absolutely no reason to believe that Hong killed Lynn.
    • Quotes

      Hong Yat Hong: [subtitled version] A gun is like a bird. If you don't grab it tightly enough, it flies away. If you grab it too tightly, it will die.

    • Connections
      Referenced in To Each His Own Cinema (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      You
      Written by Karen Mok

      Performed by Karen Mok

      Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment (Taiwan) Ltd.

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    FAQ17

    • How long is So Close?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 12, 2002 (Singapore)
    • Country of origin
      • Hong Kong
    • Official sites
      • A.D.2, Inc. (United States)
      • Sony Pictures
    • Languages
      • Mandarin
      • Cantonese
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Gác Kiếm
    • Filming locations
      • Hong Kong, China
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia
      • Eastern Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $76,584
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $31,702
      • Sep 14, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $810,243
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 51m(111 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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