|
Review
by Kozo: |
One day somebody in Hong Kong should hold a meeting
and issue this edict: stop making western-influenced
action films! Ever since Downtown Torpedoes,
it seems that every HK Cinema action flick comes with
high-tech razzle-dazzle and manufactured sentiments
that would make Jerry Bruckheimer wince. Corey Yuen's
much-anticipated So Close follows suit with
a ridiculous plot and situations that could only affect
the most easily-manipulated. He does throw some decent
action into the mix, but that isn't always enough.
Shu Qi and Vicki Zhao
are (respectively) sisters Lynn and Sue, who are high-tech
assassins with an appropriately high price tag. They
possess a secret weapon: a satellite surveillance
system called World Panorama, which was developed
by their late father. It allows them to tap into any
closed-circuit camera system worldwide, as well as
decorate their home with lots of cool-looking flat
panel monitors. Unfortunately, their latest job has
its share of issues. Evil bastard Mr. Chow (Deric
Wan) hired the girls to off his brother, but wants
to save his cash by taking them out too. Also, unreasonably
tough forensics cop Hung (Karen Mok) is on their tail,
which leads to an unconvincing romantic subplot between
she and Sue.
There's heterosexual
romance too. Lynn is reunited with old flame Yen (Korean
actor Song Seung-Heon), which reawakens her womanly
passions, or something like that. She decides she
wants out of the game, but things aren't that easy.
Sue wants in on the field action, which Lynn has restricted
her from being a part of. She doesn't want her sister
immersed in blood as she has, and wants a better life
for her. However, with the forces of good (Hung) and
evil (evil bastard Chow) closing in, even leaving
the life may become too difficult.
Then again, none of
this makes much sense, anyway. The origin story of
our two heroines is revealed midway through the film,
and it's underdeveloped and hackneyed. Then there's
the issue of World Panorama: the girls have possession
of it, which is bewildering considering the circumstances.
If the girls became orphans as a result of the satellite,
then somebody out there probably still wants it. Yet,
here they are years later with a massive satellite
doing their bidding. And they live in a fabulous house
without any locks on their doors, and apparently they
aren't wary of people following them home. They also
frequent the same establishments and aren't careful
at all about covering their tracks. Whoever taught
them to be professional assassins didn't do such a
hot job.
Of course, the defense
for such narrative laziness is that this is a fictional
popcorn movie with little or no tie to reality. And,
that's definitely true here. But, with that in mind,
it's near-impossible to engage yourself in the drama
that occurs onscreen. Writer Jeff Lau gives us more
than enough manufactured pathos, the worst being the
insipid romance between Lynn and Yen. There's also
some sisterly drama and a murder frame-up that are
supposed to be involving. Big surprise: they aren't,
and seem as credible as the girls' perfectly-arranged
hair and spotless white outfits. Considering the film's
surplus of over-the-top action, some actual wit or
humor would have been welcome.
Well, at least the action
is entertaining. It's the usual wire-assisted stuff
with some slow-motion and fast-cutting thrown in to
hide the doubles. That, in itself, costs the filmmakers
points, but there's an energetic panache to the action
scenes that's quite fun. The best sequence occurs
midway through the film, when Hung encounters the
sisters in an elevator. It's one of the few scenes
in the film that creates actual tension, and the over-the-top
fighting that follows is a welcome release. Unfortunately,
there aren't enough moments like that.
In the end, So Close is less successful than Corey Yuen's The Transporter,
as it lacks that film's self-reflexive wit. On the
other hand, So Close does win the battle of
the babes. The Transporter had just Shu Qi,
while So Close has Shu Qi, Vicki Zhao AND Karen
Mok. Readers of FHM Magazine should go home happy
with all the bare legs, arms and midriffs on display
here. Also, the slow-motion shots of Shu Qi's hair
should make long hair fetishists lose control of their
bodily functions. Who cares if Shu Qi's performance
is unreasonably dour, or that both she and Vicki Zhao
are annoyingly dubbed*? There
are enough close-ups of pouting lips, supple flesh
and doe eyes to make all the fans happy. The filmmakers
know their audience, and oblige them wholeheartedly.
It's called Fan Service; if it applies to you, go
ahead and enjoy it. (Kozo 2003) |
|
