Breaking News

Tartan is a company that we can always rely on, they present films in the best way they can and have a fine back catalogue. Breaking News sits nicely under their Tartan Asia Extreme branding - it is a pure action film with violence!

The film kicks off with a police bust about to occur. The bust goes bad when two uninvolved street cops start harassing one of the criminals about where he has parked his car, a mass shoot out occurs. We're talking machinegun galore here as well as a rocket launcher - it's only been six minutes into the film!

The gunmen steal a police van and try to get away, more mass shooting occurs, and five police officers are killed. The media arrive and film all the bloody deaths, this time the criminals get away. Later the media air a report claiming the police are incompetent and claim Hong Kong is no longer safe. How can the police regain their creditability?

We are introduced to Commissioner Rebecca Fong, played by the Asian pop star Kelly Chen, who comes up with an idea on using the media to follow the case and to reassure the public.

Hard faced Inspector Cheung (Hong Kong actor Nick Cheung who usually does comedy roles) takes the lead to discover the hideout of the gunmen. When he does find it located in a large apartment block, Rebecca makes sure that the media catches every moment by giving the police personal video cameras. We see some of this video output and it is laden with cheesy music and commentary. Hundreds of armed policemen are shown - true propaganda to get the public on their side!

The building is surrounded, the residents are evacuated, and the police begin to search floor by floor. We see plenty of shootouts in this cat and mouse game between cop and robber. The gunmen happen to meet some killers in the apartment block, force their way into an apartment and take a family hostage. They tune into the news and see what the police are saying. So to match the police, they release their own propaganda to the media via the internet. This includes footage of the police losing during the shootouts and the hostages eating a "friendly" meal with the criminals. I actually got hungry during the meal scene - anyone fancy getting a good takeaway?

The remainder of the film is about the cops and the criminals trying to outsmart each other (this includes using the media) while the criminals try to escape. We also learn some background about the criminals and bonding, an attempt to make the film's audience relate to them? One thing is for sure, Cheung and the main gunman Yuen (who is played by another pop star Richie Ren) seem just as equal as each other - determined and tough.

The film's end is a little clichéd but I'll leave that for you to judge. However, it is a powerful ending.

Breaking News is not a bad film, far from it, but I had a hard time understanding the plot (I still don't know what the criminals had done!). What are the relationships between the criminal characters? Why do they force the hostages outside with bed sheets over their heads? These are quibbles on my behalf, I'll watch it again soon to see if I can find the answers. One thing I didn't find believable were the fire fights. The bad guys seem to be surrounded and are exposed in the open yet they don't get shot. In the apartment building they still manage to avoid the police machineguns in the narrow corridors. There seems to be a lot of talk on the internet about continuity, I never noticed anything though. It is a HK action film, so I shouldn't complain!

Apparently, after some internet research, the opening seven minutes were shot in one take which had never been done before in film. I would never have noticed and I'm not sure what it does for the film - but nice nether the less. The opening minutes are certainly action packed!

Throughout the film we get some comic relief from Cheung's older colleague Hoi (Shiu Hung Hui) who plays a Ron Weasley type character. For example, when Cheung is desperately trying to discover the hideout and is obviously anxious, Hoi lets out wind. The soundtrack also switches to "elevator music" throughout the comical moments which adds to the fun.

Something I also noted was the high use of English between the police. For instance: "yes sir", "yes madam", and "I'm sorry sir". During the film they also talk about the propaganda reel as "a really good show". I know that Hong Kong's second language is English and my knowledge of HK action is a little rusty, but it seemed out of place to me.

As always, Tartan has went out its way to present this film: a nice widescreen anamorphic 1.85:1 print, a DTS Digital Surround 5.1 option, a Dolby 5.1 Surround option, and for the Plain Janes - Dolby 2.0 stereo. The sound is crystal clear with every gunshot coming straight-out at you through the 5.1 channels. The audio tracks are fortunately in Cantonese with English subtitles, there is nothing I hate more than a badly dubbed film. Colours are sharp and vibrant, and the wide shots of Hong Kong are clear. The DVD isn't packed with features but does come with a standard trailer, a short Behind the Scenes documentary, and some interesting film notes. The film is uncut and is rated 15 but it advertised throughout internet stores with an 18 certificate. You can grab this film for around £10 and is available now.

In conclusion, Braking News is a griping action film with enough violence to keep you occupied throughout. Take out the beer and enjoy!

Review by: Broonage.