If you are looking for a cerebral piece, you should look elsewhere. This screenplay is certainly not going to win any major writing accolades but within the context of this genre, the plot is believable, logical and fairly easy to follow. (***Spoiler's Alert***)In a way, Lynn's (Qi Shu) death which was indirectly caused by the action of her sister Sue (Zhao Wei) was a nice ironic twist which might have even caused a few tears to be shed. However, like the Tarantino hit "Kill Bill", it's not the plot that is the major strength of the show, it is the presentation. To call this show slick is an understatement. It's ultra chique and ultra slick. The sets, the ultra high tech special effects, the costumes, the direction and the action sequences give this film an anime quality. The pacing of the show is also superb as it kept me glued to the seat throughout the whole show. The two leading women Zhao and Qi are both drop dead gorgeous and yet they are not exploited in the film in any sexual manner. They just exude so much natural sex appeal. Insofar as the score, I am pleasantly surprised it is not filled with clicheish heavy metal sequences which seem to be prevalent in this genre of film. In fact, a lot of the music in the show is presented in a lush but sensitive way. I also thought the use of the old Carpenters hit "Close to You" in the early fighting sequence was a very special touch. The mood of the song is such an antithesis to the action on the screen that it gives the audience a sudden sense of surreal detachment. I have watched countless Hong Kong produced films but "So Close" is a definite quantum leap from previous efforts. I am so impressed and mesmerized by this delicious film that I have already ordered a DVD copy of this film for my video library. A definite 10!!!
