Daai Si Gin
2004 / 90m - Hong Kong
Action, Crime, Drama
3.5*/5.0*
Breaking News poster

Watches

October 03, 2009

3.5*/5.0*

A film famous for its opening shot. A 7-minute-long long take doesn't sound that impressive, but when you know it's an action scene AND one that shifts quite a bit in altitude, it's hard not to be in awe of it, even when the camera work isn't always perfect. The bigger problem is that the rest of the film never really lives up to that intro.

When the police are trying to catch a criminal gang, they suffer an embarrassing defeat. To make thing worse, they find out that their failure was broadcast live on television. The trust in the Hong Kong police is at an all-time low, so they come up with a plan to use the media in their favor and catch the bad guys in one single swoop.

Breaking News is a slick crime/action flick, with a cool score, some flashy editing and some nifty action scenes. The whole media angle isn't that well realized though and putting the best scene at the very start of your film is always a risk. It's a must-see for Johnnie To fans and there's a lot to love here, but I don't count it as one of his best films.