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So Close to Paradise

EMAILPRINTCinema Village Features

So Close to Paradise reviews
61
N/A User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 10 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 0 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Foreign

Written by: Pang Ming
Wang Xiaoshuai

Directed by: Wang Xiaoshuai

Release Date:
Theatrical: March 9, 2001
DVD: February 19, 2002

Running Time: 90 minutes, Color

Origin: China

Language(s): Mandarin (with English subtitles)

Summary

RATING: Not rated

Starring Wang Tong, Shi Yu, Guo Tao, and Wu Tao

Set in Shanghai, this is the story two migrants from the countryside who move to the big city and follow divergent paths toward what they hope will be happy lives -- one as a worker, the other as a crook.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80

LA Weekly Ernest Hardy

So moving and so timely.

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80

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

The result is a film that is wise, fatalistic and romantic in just the right proportions--in the best noir tradition.

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75

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Strong acting and no-nonsense filmmaking lend interest and impact to the dramatic story.

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70

Film.com Ernest Hardy

Xiaoshuai isn't really interested in glamorizing or even exploring the gangster lifestyle; nor is he interested in conventional dramatic arcs.

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70

TV Guide Ken Fox

The film is filled with a languid air of decadence and decay, and a touching sympathy for people whose lives are crushed in the shadows of progress.

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63

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

The Stockholm syndrome, that strange psychological malady by which hostages bond emotionally with their captors, is the central theme in this intimate melodrama.

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60

New Times (L.A.) Andy Klein

The texture is reminiscent of last year's "Suzhou River," but the basic material isn't as rich.

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50

New York Post Lou Lumenick

An intermittently interesting drama.

50

The New York Times Dana Stevens

Like Lou Ye's "Suzhou River," a Hitchcock homage similarly set in Shanghai's demimonde, So Close to Paradise offers an intriguing and sometimes self-canceling mixture of emotion and style.

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50

Village Voice Jessica Winter

The elliptical, even fragmented editing style clashes with the reiterative voice-over, which could indicate a stylistic choice or cutting under duress.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 0.0 (out of 10) based on 0 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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