Review: I dreamt a very weird dream the other night. Three beautiful Chinese girls were all over me and I thought to myself, “This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening!” Then when things were really heating up, one of them threw a right hook at my face then a kick to the groin. I woke up, looked at my So Close DVD and wiped the sweat off my forehead and said, “Whew, only a nightmare.” When I heard Corey Yuen was going to direct a movie starring three of the hottest Hong Kong actresses today, I thought it was just going to be another Heroic Trio and Charlie’s Angels carbon copy. Much to my surprise, it was something very new and extremely raw. So Close is an energetic ride filled with kung fu, gun play, and hot exotic women. Now that’s a formula any man will surely enjoy.

Raging boyish hormones aside, this film is actually a delight to watch. Many have said that this movie was too Hollywood and too over-the-top. I thought, “The hell, isn’t that good?” I mean first of all, HK is in dire need of blockbuster type films that can rack in the dough. We all wish for the glory days of Hong Kong Cinema, but the only way that will happen is if they can get out of the rut their in. Movies such as Hero, Infernal Affairs, and So Close are the films that can pull it off. So I say, rock on Corey Yuen! Despite your typical plot of “cat and mouse,” Yuen’s So Close is an action lovers’ porn flick.

Don’t get me wrong folks, I’m not suggesting that this movie is the grand daddy of them all nor am I remotely considering this as one of the top films of 2002, but it is worth your time and money. Yuen’s signature close combat style fighting is ever so evident here. His creativity and masterful choreography of some of the fight scenes are extraordinary to watch. I was in complete awe when I gazed upon Shu Qi and Karen Mok’s one-on-one fight scene. The whole free world knows they’re not the martial artists they seem to be on the screen, but they really looked damn cool doing it. Astonishing flexibility, sexy smirks, and rugged action are just a few of the perks awaiting you.

Considering the film is hyped up as an actioner, I was shocked at how deep some of the performances were. Shu Qi and Vicky Zhao Wei gave the best performances of the film. It wasn’t the greatest acting I’ve seen them do, but it did enhance the plot in a way. There is a stirring twist that will feel like a freight train had just hit you once it happens. You’ll be guided one way, then “BAM!” This particular scene was in a way extremely disappointing to me, but it does work out in the end. You’ll see. Then of course, there’s Karen Mok. Not the most attractive woman of the bunch, but in a way, she was just a pleasure to watch. Her style has a sense of masculinity mixed in with a sexy flare. Her character Hong resembles a lot of the old hard boiled male characters. She was very entertaining.