So Close To Paradise (1998) Rating: Starring: Guo Tao, Wu Tao, Wang Tong, Shi Yu Director: Wang Xiaoshuai Category: Avant Garde, Drama, Foreign Studio: First Run Features Subtitles: English Length: 90 mins     "The brutal melancholy of a classic Hollywood tough-guy B picture. Striking and genuine!"-The New York Times One of China's most talented and controversial young filmmakers, Wang Xiaoshuai has crafted a striking noir gangster film reminiscent of Hollywood's classic "B" movies from the 1940s and 50s.Banned for 3 years by the Chinese government, So Close to Paradise is now finally available to North American audiences. Two country boys, Gao Ping and Dong Zi, move to the big city to carve out new lives for themselves.While Dong Zi is content with his menial job hauling boxes around the docks, Gao Ping quickly enters a maze of gangsters, crime, and underworld alliances.When Gao Ping kidnaps and then falls in love with Ruan Hong, a beautiful, seductive nightclub singer, his fate is sealed.