Chik yeung tin si (2002)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Corey Yuen

Writer:

Jeffrey Lau (writer)

Release Date:

12 September 2002 (Singapore)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Looks can be deceiving.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Loss Of Mother | Gun | Dead Mother | Glass | Bathtub Scene

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Qi Shu	...	Lynn
Wei Zhao	...	Sue
Karen Mok	...	Hong Yat Hong
Seung-heon Song	...	Yen (as Song Seung Hun)
Yasuaki Kurata	...	Master
Derek Wan	...	Master
Michael Wai	...	Ma Siu Ma
Siu-Lun Wan	...	Chow Nunn
Sau Sek	...	Chow Lui
Ki Yan Lam	...	Alice
Josie Ho	...	Ching (as Josephine Ho)
Sheung Mo Lam	...	Lai Kai-joe
May Kwong	...	May
Henry Fong	...	Dad (as Fong Ping)
Hee Ching Paw	...	Mom

Also Known As:

So Close (International: English title)
Virtual Twilight (Hong Kong: English title) (working title)
Xi yang tian shi (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive violence and a sexual conversation.

Runtime:

Argentina:111 min | UK:110 min | Poland:106 min (dvd release)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin | Cantonese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Indonesia:Dewasa (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Poland:15 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia

Goofs:

Factual errors: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007)

Entertaining action film for everyone

I went in not expecting to enjoy the film, because generally I do not like watching action films. However, the action scenes in So Close were chereographed very well and with such painstaking panache that you are drawn into the fight scenes, the plot and the general mood of the story, which by the way is not bad (in fact, I would say it's quite good for a Hongkong movie, considering these days of falling standards in the industry and rampant piracy). Singapore showed the original undubbed version - and I thought Shu Qi and Vicki Zhao's mellifluous Mandarin was a pleasure to listen to. Shu Qi burns up the screen as usual in her sultry pouty poses, but I am surprised by the amount of emotional depth she invested into the more dramatic moments of this fabulously entertaining movie. She destroys the notion that she's just a bimbo export to Hollywood, especially with her recent 'Transporter'. Vicki Zhao was fabulous as her younger sister too - though she didn't quite manage to come off looking like she acted very well, she still managed to endear herself to audiences, being the likeable younger sister and all. But the surprise is towards the end, where Vicki's character gains maturity after the tragedy and she works towards proving that she is able to stand on par with her sister. Karen Mok is funny and entertaining and serious too - yes, it's a contradiction, but a real contradiction. She manages to come off looking cool and collected as the female cop that pursues Shu Qi and Vicki Zhao, with the intelligence of James Bond and the crappy fluffiness of a female magazine. This movie is fabulously entertaining and a treat for fans of the halcyon days of Hongkong cinema. Watch out for the gag during the car chase involving Karen Mok and Vicki Zhao. You'll love it.