BREAKING NEWS
Over the last decade Hong Kong crime dramas have found friendly ground here in the West. Often brimming with tangled plotlines, balletic violence and tons of attitude, these action imports arent known for their meaningful social commentary.
Johnnie Tos Breaking News changes all that. A blend of non-stop action and cynical media critique, it examines the thin line between criminal life and corrupt law enforcement, illustrating how both are exploited by the bread and circuses of modern entertainment.
The movie opens with a mind-blowing eight-minute single-take tracking shot of a full-tilt action sequence. A pair of unsuspecting beat cops stops a crook for a minor traffic violation and before you know it all hell breaks loose. Undercover detectives, armed bandits and rooftop snipers pop out from every direction as Tos camera swoops and spins to capture an entire city block as it ignites into a war zone. Masterfully introducing the main characters and setting the films pace and tone, its an example of bravura filmmaking
one the director spends the next 80 minutes unsuccessfully trying to match.
The criminals flee to a labyrinthine apartment complex where they hold a family hostage, playing cat and mouse with the authorities. The police department, reeling from a string of recent PR disasters, sends in supervisor Rebecca Fong (Kelly Chen) to direct the crisis. By feeding carefully edited images of police heroism to broadcast news, Fong hopes to turn the situation into a public relations coup, even going so far as to poll fleeing citizens on how they rate their evacuation.
The criminals start to manipulate the media as well, posting images on the web that paint them in a sympathetic light. Caught between these two forces is Detective Cheung (Nick Cheung) and his besieged squad, the only ones who seem to care about catching the criminals and saving lives.
Despite a few brilliantly satirical moments, Breaking News is first and foremost a tightly wound thriller. There is no doubt Tos loyalties lie fully within genre conventions. The movie clocks in at barely 90 minutes and his prowess at crosscutting between drama and well-choreographed action keeps things entertaining and frenetic.
However, the breakneck pace also robs the film of substance. Instead of exploring how the media exploits and is exploited by explosive situations, To hits the most obvious targets over and over again. Theres little subtlety or insight to the subplots, and Tos satirical observations exhaust themselves well before the action ends.
Ultimately, Breaking News has enough slick camerawork and wild fire fights to keep Hong Kong action film fans very happy; even if its intriguing concept isnt quite as smart as it should be.