Breaking News Details

2006

Rated:
60
from 401 members

Starring	Kelly Chen, Nick Cheung
Director	Johnny To
Genres	Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema

Breaking News

Johnny To (MY LEFT EYE SEES GHOSTS) directs this crime thriller, which begins in explosive fashion as a televised bank robbery is dangerously mismanaged by the police. The criminals escape and leave a bloodbath behind them, and the police decide to use the media to broadcast their attempted capture of the gang. But when the robbers also draw on the power of the media to put forward their side of the case, BREAKING NEWS turns into a thoroughly modern portrayal of the criminal underclasses.

Starring	Kelly Chen, Nick Cheung
Director	Johnny To
Studio	PALISADES TARTAN
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 30 mins
Certificate
Genres	Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema
Language	DVD: Cantonese
Subtitles	DVD: English
Released	DVD: 24 Sep 2007 Production year: 2006
Format	DVD

Critics' reviews (2) of Breaking News
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Tos Full Time Killer, which made a virtue of its implausible premise (two hitmen chase each other across... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
A film with terrifically choreographed action.
- New York Times
- Posted 08 Oct 2007
Most helpful member's review of Breaking News
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12 out of 20 people found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

Breaking News: Johnnie To does it again!

Johnnie To once again proves why he is one of Hong Kong's most impressive filmakers of the last 20 years.

The story involves a gang who commit a robbery and end up in a shootout with the police in the streets of Hong Kong that happens to be captured by a TV news cameraman. The public's confidence in the police takes a hit so when they learn their men have located the gang in an apartment block, the police decide the best way to restore public faith is to televise the capture operation - and control every detail..

At the helm of this is ambitious Rebecca Fong who directs the whole thing like a proper TV show. So when things don't look positive for the police, they simply edit the material and put a positive spin on the events. However, the criminals are one step ahead of the police at every turn exposing Fong's fraudulent broadcasts to the media and the Hong Kong viewing public.

Arguably one of the quicker paced films of Johnnie To - clocking in at just 83 minutes - which means it starts quickly and ends quickly. It could have done with a bigger build up an perhaps some more character development. However the story is original and a nice satire on spin-doctoring and media manipulation that has you actually rooting for the villains halfway through.

This is a cracking film with the usual effortless performances from Richie Jen (Exiled), Nick Cheung (Exiled, Election) and Kelly Chen as well as appearances from To's favourites Simon Yam and Lam Suet.

My only real complaint is: why did we have to wait over 3 years for this great film to be released on these shores?
- - ManInBlack from ORPINGTON
  - Posted 16 Oct 2007 21:16
Most recent members' review of Breaking News
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

* * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

Breaking News

As much as Johnny To might be 'claimed' by arthouse critics as a formal genius (his exacting mise-en-scene bringing sighs to the lips of the likes of Fred Camper, John Rosenbaum and, umm, Britains own film 'critic' Johnathan Ross) it should be said that it is really through his endeavours towards the mainstream that he comes into his own.

Witness the beauty of the 'Breaking News' opener; the film-within-a-film beginning doesn't linger on, he leaves the audience to see the irony and move on without forcefeeding us postmodernist smugness. Equally his actors (who he he seems to have a natural affinity for - many of them turning up again and again in his films) are excellently played. In part this is to do with the way To twists the genre. A hostage situation that is broken up with everyone sitting down for a meal, police included, seems original (although it seems to be a mainstay in To's films). So too does the tricksy manuevering of the criminals in response to the police's actions.
- - DTurley from Trowbridge
  - Posted 03 Apr 2008 19:57
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