It has been nearly a decade since we last saw the Hong Kong femme fatales in action. Ass kicking babes such as Moon Lee, Yukari Oshima, Cynthia Khan et al have all gone missing from our screens for such a long time that it is time to re-invent the genre and bring in some new blood.

Luckily we have three gorgeous babes in the likes of Shu Qi, Karen Mok and Vicky Zhao to show us how to kick butt in the twenty-first century - with style. The plot is pretty much nonsensical, but if you must know, it is about a couple of assassins (played by Shu Qi and Vicky Zhao) who are betrayed by their latest client, Chow (Derek Wan). Hot on the girls' heels are hot cop babe Ah Hung (Karen Mok) and her assistant (So Yau Pang), but Ah Hung soon becomes sympathetic to the girls' cause, and in the end, they join forces to kick serious ass.

Although in these sort of films, history tells us that the plot is nothing but a hub to deliver set-pieces of endless fights, So Close manages to give us some decent characterisations that we actually do care for these girls, so when the shit hits the fan, we root for them with more gusto. The homophobic scenes between Vicky Zhao and Karen Mok were quite funny at times, and it added a little depth to the plot by implying a certain sensitivity between the two opposing characters.

The film is directed by Corey Yuen, so you know what to expect. The action is slick, fast and furious, with plenty of the now obligatory slo-mo and multiple angle shots. The unarmed combat seems to be based on style than simply throwing one's fists, so you get to see the girls in all kinds of body movements - in great detail. Some of the situations are purely fantastical, but who cares, as long as it looks as good as this. The assassination attempt at the beginning of the film is simply gorgeous, very well choregraphed, and kudos to the director for not using loud rock music in the background. Like John Woo had said, the action is like a piece of classical music.

The supporting cast all looked cool, but I felt a couple of them were used too sparingly. Derek Wan (those will remember him as the emperor in Stephen Chow's The Royal Tramp) has been away from our screens for a long while now, so it is a welcome to see him back. But while the film shows him as this cold-blooded calculating hard bastard, his demise is a huge disappointment. Shu Qi's love interest adds little to the story except show the impression that she is willing to give up her job for him. Can't remember the actor's name, but he is a huge star in Korea. Equally impressive are Lam Bong and Kurata Yasuaki, who give us some excellent fight scenes against the girls.

The film has its flaws, because at times the story drags, but these are just little niggles, since it has been a while since we last saw a bunch of girls kick butt in a film (Charlie's Angels watch out), so I hope that in the coming future, we can expect to see more. However, kung fu films are out of vogue in Hong Kong at the moment, so current audiences may rather spend their money on Hollywood biggies, or in-vogue Korean films, than splash out on local produce. Shame really, as the industry really needs some Grade A films to re-establish itself.