[KFCC] Breaking News Review

Story: When five bandits open-fire at cops in a narrow street in Hong Kong, all hell breaks loose. To make matters worse, the media is there to capture the escape of the criminals and the complete embarrassment of law enforcers during the chaos. With reputation-shattering images and the criminals still on the loose, the public begins to turn their backs on the law officials.

Knowing that simply catching these thieves won’t save face, Inspector Rebecca Fong decides to put on a “show” to restore the police department’s public image. What ensues is a cat and mouse chase between the law officials and the criminals, except this time, it’s not about justice…it’s about public image.

Review: The aspect of Johnny To that seems to make the biggest international mark is his serious cop-and-robbers-drama side. With films like “PTU,” “The Mission,” “Fulltime Killer,” and “Running Out of Time” defining his international appeal, “Breaking News” fits nicely into his filmography. Although I’d prefer “Fat Choi Spirit” over “PTU” any day, we’re here to talk about Johnny’s serious side.

As most of you have heard, “Breaking News” has already been bought by the North American market for a remake. For once, I think that’s good news. The ultimate theme of this film is the ravenous media and how image is more important than anything else in our current society. The appeal of this film is that the image-conscious society depicted in this film has a universal application. With an onslaught of horrible reality shows plaguing American airwaves, it’s a fresh breath of air to see a film that criticizes this aspect of our lives so well.

The opening moments start off with a bang. Not since “Touch of Evil” have I seen such a stupendous one-shot take. And unlike the Orson Welles opening, Johnny To pumps this one-shot with action. Rather than the quick cuts to each side of the fire battle, To moves the camera fluidly from one aspect of the action to the other. This is To’s directing at its finest. The opening really gives the action a serene feel. The opening echoes the rest of the film. The action, style, and execution are top-notch throughout the film. Although, there is one problem….

The commentary is very well organized, but the film itself has one major flaw. The film runs on an engine of reality, but there are some parts of this film that seem too extraordinary to be real. Yes, I know, it’s a movie, but if you are going to use the theme of reality television, at least make it consistent. I didn’t care so much, but the friends I watched it with just couldn’t shake it off. In fact, the extreme events give the film a comedic value that may or may not be unintentional. For some people, that may kill the overall mood of the film. I mean seriously, the Terminator-ish quality of one of the heroes is just ridiculous.

With a handful of entertaining and smartly executed moments, it’s a damn shame that the idea was not fully realized. However, credit is given where it is due. When a Jackie-Chan-ish character comes out to give his two pennies on the current situation to the public, it really shows how fickle we are as an audience. We would prefer the opinion of a famous celebrity, rather than an expert in the field. The scene is hilarious as it shows Jackie Chan’s status in the eye of the Chinese public. Hell, Jackie even thought he was big enough to criticize the political climate of Taiwan! And you know what? People actually took his comments and discussed it in a political panel! That’s the kind of ideologies presented that makes this film so enjoyable.

The core casts gives really solid performances. Kelly Chen really plays the bitch-character for all its worth. There were so many times I wished someone would just lay a hand across her face to straighten her out. As for Nick Cheung’s criminal with a heart, he really does all he can with the material presented. The supporting cast does a wonderful job of catalyzing the overall performances of the film.

The clever bits in this film are pretty nifty. The battle for the public image hasn’t been utilized this well since John Travolta’s “Mad City.” When the police use edited footage to update the public on what seemed to be a winning situation, the criminals quickly retorts by means of the internet and release video footage of what really happened. It’s moment like these between the good guys and bad guys that really get your blood pumping. The action itself is reminiscent of “PTU.” We follow three sets of characters during the siege of the apartment building. Each set casts really play off each other splendidly with terrific results.

“Breaking News” is one of Johnny To’s finest films. I wasn’t a big fan of his last big outing, “PTU.” I kind of lost my interest in his work after that movie, feeling he had fallen into a cliché of his own films. But I’ve been proven wrong. “Breaking News” takes all of Johnny To’s conventions and injects them with a new sense of life. This is a terrific film that overcomes all its small flaws to deserve a spot in your DVD collection.