Chameleon Films Australian Blu-ray Synopsis: The premiere of Johnnie To's Breaking News at Cannes marks the moment when art cinema finally embraced the Hong Kong action genre. Here is a film as intelligent as it is tense as it is well-made. From the breathtaking intricacy of its seven-minute opening take, shot on location in a grungy side street in the New Territories, the complex oppositions that form Hong Kong society are subjected to ruthless scrutiny. The familiar opposition of cops and robbers (led by pop-star Richie Jen) is complicated by a further division between no-nonsense street cops (led by Nick Cheung) and the media-savvy inspector (Kelly Chen). A stake-out goes wrong and a very public shoot-out leads to an official panic. When the violent, though quietly decent bandits are run to ground in a typically cramped apartment building, it sparks a media circus. Inspector Rebecca Fong (Chen) sees the whole thing as a show, as imagery to be manipulated to her advantage, but the outlaws armed with mobile phones and an internet connection, show that two can play that game. Hong Kong may be a city where media spin is king, but To delves beneath the imagery to the gritty realities that make HK truly unique. (90 Mins)

 

Kam & Ronson Hong Kong DVD Synopsis: When an ambulatory TV news unit live broadcasts the embarrassing defeat of a police battalion by five bank robbers in a ballistic showdown, the credibility of the police force drops to a nadir. While on a separate investigation in a run-down building, detective Cheung discovers the hideout of the robbers. Cheung and his men have also entered the building, getting ready to take their foes out at any minute. Meanwhile, in order to beat the media at its own game, Inspector Rebecca decides to turn the stakeout into a breaking news show. (90 Mins)

 

Views: Johnnie To's highly entertaining crime-caper opens with a lengthy single-shot opening scene which is hugely impressive, both on a directional level and by the performances from everyone involved. Due to the technical difficulties and intricacy of movement, the camerawork may be a little shaky but its practically perfection on Johnnie To's behalf that just happens to include a beautifully orchestrated shoot-out, resulting in one of the greatest openings of any film I've ever seen. As the baddies escape in a shot-up police van, the heroic cops give chase on foot – catching the attention of a local news crew who capture the next stage of the shoot-outs. When the news report gains huge attention from the public, embarrassing the force due to their negligence and inability to protect the streets of Hong Kong, Inspector Rebecca Fong encourages her bosses to turn their capturing of the criminals into a breaking news show. But Detective Cheung, who is leading the investigation, disagrees with her plan and just wants revenge for his murdered teammates. As the cops begin their hunt, they quickly realise that all isn't going to be as smooth as they had first hoped. With unbalance in the force, hindered by the involvement of the CIA forcing their jurisdiction on the case, and a ruthless gang of criminals who are armed to the teeth and holding an apartment block to ransom, the people of Hong Kong watch in awe to witness the outcome of this ballistic showdown!

 

Once again, the fantastic Johnnie To delivers another one of his finest moments with Breaking News – a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that takes viewers on a wild tour of the city, as the police strive to track down their catch. I first saw this film soon after it was released, via a DVD import from Hong Kong, and although I had thoroughly enjoyed it back then, never really revisited it until now. Released as the first title on the new Australian distribution label, Chameleon Films, watching Breaking News on Blu-ray was just like seeing for the first time again – only better. The picture quality, the sound, the colour, everything about it just made this viewing experience so much better. I've long been a fan of the incredible Johnnie To, ever since his feature-film directorial debut of The Enigmatic Case in 1980. From then, To has continued to impress over and over again for the past 4 decades with 65 strong titles to date including classics such as The Big Heat, Casino Raiders 2, The Heroic Trio 1 & 2, The Bare-Footed Kid, A Hero Never Dies, The Mission, Fulltime Killer, Running Out Of Time 1 & 2, and so much more! No matter what the subject matter, the genre, or the story, you can be guaranteed that Johnnie To will deliver – most often than not. Breaking News came after a busy year that saw To deliver no less than 5 feature films, which included his massive hits Running On Karma and the popular police thriller, PTU. It would seem that he would slow down from here on in with only 3 productions in 2004 including this, Throwdown, and Yesterday Once More – going on to direct only 1 or 2 per year following that. Here, Johnnie's typical style of direction thrives with lingering shots, engrossing cinematography, and strong performances from all involved proving that he is more of an artist than most Hong Kong (and even Hollywood) directors in the business today.

 

In the good corner, the wonderful Nick Cheung leads the way as the vengeful detective who is intent on bringing the ruthless criminals to justice. I thought it was great to see Nick back in this territory since his feature film debut was in the 1989 Andy Lau thriller-comedy, News Attack; a similarly themed film that saw Cheung appear as a young policeman. Interestingly enough, in real-life, Nick left the Royal Hong Kong Police Force after 5 years of service, to become an actor. Since then, he has starred in almost 90 films including Against All, The Tricky Master, The Duel, The Conmen In Vegas, the Election Trilogy, Exiled, Beast Stalker, White Storm, Line Walker, and many more. In 2014, Cheung made his directorial debut with Hungry Ghost Ritual of which he followed with Keeper Of Darkness just a year later, and the The Trough in 2018. I really enjoyed Nick in this role of Detective Cheung, and loved his determination to get the job done. He is partnered with the wonderful Hiu Siu Hung, a very recognisable face and prolific actor of Hong Kong cinema since the early 70s. With over 170 films to his name, including Games Gamblers Play, Royal Warriors, A Bite Of Love, Running Out Of Time1 & 2, Bio-Cops, Anna In Kung-Fu Land, Heat Team, Fatal Move, 12 Golden Ducks, and Line Walker (with Cheung), as well as many more, Hui has always been a welcome addition to any film and does a fantastic job in the role of Inspector Hoi. They both work under the orders of Inspector Rebecca Fong, a stern by-the-book female cop who leads the 'realty show' idea to make the people of Hong Kong support the police once again. Fong is played by Kelly Chen, a singer-actress who I've never been a huge fan of. She has a look I don't really care for, although it worked quite well for her harsh performance here. I first saw Kelly in Hot War, quickly followed by the superb Tokyo Raiders – both of which were directed by Jingle Ma. Her roles in Infernal Affairs 1 & 3 came just before this, and there wasn't too much more I caught her in after that (thankfully) except for An Empress & The Warriors, The Monkey King 1 & 2, and An Inspector Calls with Eric Tsang. Chen's character answers to Supt. Eric Yeung and Commander Wong – with the latter played by the great Simon Yam in a cameo. The popular Eddie Cheung plays Eric Yeung, and is a regular face of many Johnnie To titles including The Bare-Footed Kid, Running On Karma, Throwdown, Election 1 & 2, Exiled, Vengeance, and more, and has appeared in many other great hits over the years for directors such as Dennis Law, David Lam, and Roy Chow. And, of course, Johnnie To regular and fan favourite to many Hong Kong film viewers, Lam Suet, steals whatever scenes he appears in as the frantic single parent who (along with his two kids) is taken hostage in his home by the gun-toting criminals.

 

The bad corner is made up of an interesting mix of characters, split over two teams who quickly learn to work together in a bid to survive. Led by Richie Jen, who I have learned to love more since first seeing him in Gorgeous, Silver Hawk, and Seoul Raiders. As chief criminal Chan Yat Yuen, Jen does a great job as the bank robber turned cold-hearted killer, playing off Cheung's determined cop perfectly – both of whom play like the yin and yang of the story. Of course, Jen has continued to impress over the years with roles in Exiled, Lady Cop & Papa Crook, Accident, Life Without Principle, Legendary Amazons, and more. He is joined by Li Hai To, in what would only be his second role after appearing in Lau Kar Leung's Drunken Monkey. Obviously impressing in his role, Li joined To for the fun Throwdown, Triangle, and Vengeance, as well as starring in Tsui Hark's Seven Swords, Gallants, Motorway, Sky On Fire, and the Nick Cheung directed thriller, The Trough. You Yong does a great job as Cheung Chun; one of the other criminals who gets caught up in the chase – mistaking the police hunt for his own. While he had been acting in films from 1990 since his role in Peking Duck Restaurant, I didn't really recognise him as a performer until this. Since then, Yong has went on to star in hits such as A World Without Thieves, Red Cliff 1 & 2, The Underdog Knight, The Crossing 1 & 2, and Johnnie To's Election Trilogy – among many others. The same can be said for his brother in crime, actor Ding Hai Feng, along with Wong Chi Wai – a recognisable face from kung-fu classics such as 36 Deadly Styles, Snake Deadly Act, The Victim, Lion Vs Lion, Shaolin Prince, and more including Owl Vs Bumbo, As Tears Go By, Swordsman, and many of the aforementioned Johnnie To hits. And finally, the late Alan Chui (who literally only passed this week) cameos as another gang boss who dodges Ren's bullets in the final moments of his attempted escape...

 

As with many of Johnnie To's movies, great performances are always enhanced by plenty of moments of style, tight editing, gorgeous cinematography, great writing, memorable action, and a hint of comedy – with one such scene set during lunch time. Holed-up in Lam Suet's apartment, the criminals opt to cook a massive lunch for the family and their men, going on to stream it live to all to win the support of the people. Not to be outdone by those they are tracking down, Rebecca Fong orders lunch for all of her people on the job, including the news crews covering the event and more. It's a light-hearted moment that allows the audience to catch their breath, as well as the cops involved, and offers a chuckle or two via its realistic approach on things. The underrated Yuen Bun handles the film's action scenes, all of which are beautifully executed and mostly shoot-outs. From the aforementioned opening gun-fight in the streets to the many showdowns in the apartment block, one of which takes place in an elevator shaft, and the lengthy one-shot shoot-outs at the end, Bun does a great job in keeping things both real and exciting in the action department. The man behind the lens of most Johnnie To films – as well as many other hits such as Fight back To School 1 & 2, Satan Returns, Thunderbolt, and Ip Man 4 – Mr. Cheung Siu Keung, delivers yet another stunning film aided by some great lighting that just makes his cinematography pop. It's also worth noting that the same man directed both In The Line Of Duty 6: Forbidden Arsenal and In The Line Of Duty 7: Sea Wolves, as well as the Once Upon A Time In China inspired film, White Lotus Cult – the first of the Sam The Iron Bridge Trilogy. Actor and director Law Wing Cheong; the man behind Johnnie To's Running Out Of Time 2, PTU sequels Tactical Unit: The Code and Tactical Unit: Comrades In Arms, Wrath Of Vajra, and Donnie Yen's box-office flop Iceman 3D – gains the credit of Executive Director once again; a role he has held on many of To's movies including The Mission, Fulltime Killer, PTU, Running On Karma, Throwdown, Election, and more. I think it's safe to say that, for many years now, Milkyway Studios have been delivering hit after hit proving that Johnnie To is one of the greatest names (and forces) in Hong Kong cinema today – dare I say, the film world as a whole. Breaking News may not come to the top of the list for many who have their top ten of Hong Kong films, but it definitely entertains in true To style and has a lot on offer to love!

 

Overall: Beautifully made, well acted, and gripping, Breaking News is an enjoyable crime-caper that is well worth the watch!

 

Chameleon Films Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng, Video Essay on Breaking News, Melbourne International Film Festival Interview with Johnnie To, Cannes 2004 Interviews with Johnnie To, Kelly Chen & Nick Cheung, Behind The Scenes Featurette, Deleted Scene (Mandarin Only), Photo Gallery, Trailer

 

Kam & Ronson DVD Extras: Behind The Scenes Featurette, Deleted Scene (Mandarin Only), Photo Gallery, Trailers

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Watch my unboxing video of this Chameleon Films release HERE