This one is for all die-hard action fans. And it delivers...
From the stunning six-plus minute long take of the first shoot-out between the cops and the gangsters, the action just doesn't stop as a set of four cops attempt to rundown five gangsters. In fact, that first long take is so well done, it's worth seeing this movie just for that, even if you don't want to see the rest of it.
And that first take reminded me very strongly of that escape sequence in Heat (1995), when Robert de Niro and gang run the gauntlet of hundreds of cops as they try to get away with millions in cash.
However, not only is Breaking News a well-done action flick, it's also a not-so-subtle satire about how the police and the media manipulate the news for their own separate ends. And, coupled with some tongue-in-cheek scenes whereby all the action ceases for a meal break, plus an almost obligatory exchange of views, via the Internet, between the bad guys holed up in an apartment block and the cops in the command post a touch of humour amidst all the touches of larceny...
With such a fast paced story, there's not much room for character development, you would think. Well, there's where you'd be wrong: from the frenetic determination of Inspector Cheung (Nick Cheung), to the Cool-Hand-Luke competence of the bad boss, Yuen (Richie Ren), to the icy calm and control of Commissioner Rebecca Fong (Kelly Chen), all ably supported by an excellent cast of odd-ball characters, director Johnny To must be lauded for being able to show quickly with a sharp script also just how likable or unlikable the characters are. No mean feat, in my opinion.
One of the most pleasing aspects about this film for me, however, was the complete absence of any martial arts, from any of the characters.
Great photography within the seedier parts of Hong Kong coupled with superior editing of the action sequences kept my interest going, and only marred by some of the more obvious mistakes with special effects particularly how bullet holes magically appeared on car hoods, tops or sides when no shots were fired at them. Or worse, when cars in the line of fire magically escaped being hit. But, I can forgive minor mishaps with timing.
You never find out what the gangsters actually did to warrant being chased; you never find out exactly why the cops had them under observation, in the first place; you never find out just why Commissioner Fong hates Inspector Cheung's guts so much. It's like, as the viewer, you turn on your TV to watch a real-life action drama of cops fighting it out with a gang, somewhere in your city, and you sit, transfixed, waiting to see what happens...
Guess what? That's what it is everyday almost: breaking news.
From the stunning six-plus minute long take of the first shoot-out between the cops and the gangsters, the action just doesn't stop as a set of four cops attempt to rundown five gangsters. In fact, that first long take is so well done, it's worth seeing this movie just for that, even if you don't want to see the rest of it.
And that first take reminded me very strongly of that escape sequence in Heat (1995), when Robert de Niro and gang run the gauntlet of hundreds of cops as they try to get away with millions in cash.
However, not only is Breaking News a well-done action flick, it's also a not-so-subtle satire about how the police and the media manipulate the news for their own separate ends. And, coupled with some tongue-in-cheek scenes whereby all the action ceases for a meal break, plus an almost obligatory exchange of views, via the Internet, between the bad guys holed up in an apartment block and the cops in the command post a touch of humour amidst all the touches of larceny...
With such a fast paced story, there's not much room for character development, you would think. Well, there's where you'd be wrong: from the frenetic determination of Inspector Cheung (Nick Cheung), to the Cool-Hand-Luke competence of the bad boss, Yuen (Richie Ren), to the icy calm and control of Commissioner Rebecca Fong (Kelly Chen), all ably supported by an excellent cast of odd-ball characters, director Johnny To must be lauded for being able to show quickly with a sharp script also just how likable or unlikable the characters are. No mean feat, in my opinion.
One of the most pleasing aspects about this film for me, however, was the complete absence of any martial arts, from any of the characters.
Great photography within the seedier parts of Hong Kong coupled with superior editing of the action sequences kept my interest going, and only marred by some of the more obvious mistakes with special effects particularly how bullet holes magically appeared on car hoods, tops or sides when no shots were fired at them. Or worse, when cars in the line of fire magically escaped being hit. But, I can forgive minor mishaps with timing.
You never find out what the gangsters actually did to warrant being chased; you never find out exactly why the cops had them under observation, in the first place; you never find out just why Commissioner Fong hates Inspector Cheung's guts so much. It's like, as the viewer, you turn on your TV to watch a real-life action drama of cops fighting it out with a gang, somewhere in your city, and you sit, transfixed, waiting to see what happens...
Guess what? That's what it is everyday almost: breaking news.