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Biandan, guniang
Metascore
61 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
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  1. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ernest Hardy
    80
    So moving and so timely.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    80
    The result is a film that is wise, fatalistic and romantic in just the right proportions--in the best noir tradition.
  3. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    75
    Strong acting and no-nonsense filmmaking lend interest and impact to the dramatic story.
  4. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    70
    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.
  5. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Ernest Hardy
    70
    Xiaoshuai isn't really interested in glamorizing or even exploring the gangster lifestyle; nor is he interested in conventional dramatic arcs.
  6. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    63
    The Stockholm syndrome, that strange psychological malady by which hostages bond emotionally with their captors, is the central theme in this intimate melodrama.
  7. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Andy Klein
    60
    The texture is reminiscent of last year's "Suzhou River," but the basic material isn't as rich.
  8. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    50
    An intermittently interesting drama.
    All this critic's reviews
  9. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Jessica Winter
    50
    The elliptical, even fragmented editing style clashes with the reiterative voice-over, which could indicate a stylistic choice or cutting under duress.
  10. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    50
    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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