Why do birds...suddenly appear?
One of the depressing things about the shift of studios to grab as much revenue as possible for their big movie vehicles on opening weekend is that smaller movies get very narrow windows in which to reach their audience. And so it was that I had to dash off to the Varsity to catch So Close before its one week run came to an end. Ever since China took over Hong Kong, many of HK's top directors and actors have fled to Hollywood, and the talent and funding drain temporarily sapped the HK film scene of its vitality. So I was both hopeful and skeptical as the opening scene unfolded...
...bingo! This is the type of fun, entertaining action flick that HK used to crank out with unmatched regularity. Forget Charlie's Angels and all those American knockoffs. HK has been producing female action heroes since the days when Cameron Diaz was in a training bra. The gorgeous Shu Qi emerges from an elevator in a glorious white pantsuit, wearing designer shades and stilettos with retractable spikes that allow her to hang from ceilings while blowing bodyguards away. Dazzling.
All the men in this movie, and even the plot itself, is a sideshow. It's all about Karen Mok, Shu Qi, and Zhao Wei, kicking serious butt. And because the action is top notch, the slapstick humor is charming instead of annoying. It's a delicate balance, and So Close achieves it.
The movie is never so good as in the beginning, when for no reason at all, Shu Qi's handler decides to play the Carpenter's "(They Long to Be) Close to You" while Shu Qi is fighting her way out of a heavily guarded building, shooting several dozen bodyguards in the knees on her way out, smiling mischievously the whole time. Call her the anti-Trinity.
Just like me, they long to be, close to youuuuuuu....
Of course, if you're in Seattle, you have just one day left to catch it, while crap like Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star lingers for weeks, taking up screen space and stinking like so much rotting garbage.
...bingo! This is the type of fun, entertaining action flick that HK used to crank out with unmatched regularity. Forget Charlie's Angels and all those American knockoffs. HK has been producing female action heroes since the days when Cameron Diaz was in a training bra. The gorgeous Shu Qi emerges from an elevator in a glorious white pantsuit, wearing designer shades and stilettos with retractable spikes that allow her to hang from ceilings while blowing bodyguards away. Dazzling.
All the men in this movie, and even the plot itself, is a sideshow. It's all about Karen Mok, Shu Qi, and Zhao Wei, kicking serious butt. And because the action is top notch, the slapstick humor is charming instead of annoying. It's a delicate balance, and So Close achieves it.
The movie is never so good as in the beginning, when for no reason at all, Shu Qi's handler decides to play the Carpenter's "(They Long to Be) Close to You" while Shu Qi is fighting her way out of a heavily guarded building, shooting several dozen bodyguards in the knees on her way out, smiling mischievously the whole time. Call her the anti-Trinity.
Just like me, they long to be, close to youuuuuuu....
Of course, if you're in Seattle, you have just one day left to catch it, while crap like Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star lingers for weeks, taking up screen space and stinking like so much rotting garbage.