So Close

Scott Hardie: “It was ok.”

As a fan of silly, completely implausible Hong Kong action movies (another Qi Shu flick, Gorgeous, ranks among my favorites in the subgenre), I would have to label this one as a mediocre example of the subgenre. Technically, I watched this movie before the weblog commenced, but I was so underwhelmed by it that I didn't bother writing an official review, which almost never happened.

It's slight and transparent. The action scenes are impressive enough as long as Qi Shu isn't in them (she's as convincing doing martial arts as Drew Barrymore), but the dialogue scenes send the movie flying off the rails -- and while that's normally a plus for this subgenre, I don't mean it as a compliment here. I simply didn't believe the characters' transformations from poker-faced ass-kickers into giddy preschool girls, and the need to one-up the other characters demonstrated by Karen Mok's detective was bothersome at best.

This kind of movie is candy for your eyes and poison for your brain; you know already whether or not you'd like it.

− date unknown • more by Scott • log in or create an account to reply