Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Breaking News Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 14, 2009

Winner of the Film of Merit award granted by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society, Johnnie To’s “Breaking News” (2004) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Asian distributors MegaStar. The film explores the relationship between violence and mass media in contemporary societies while it follows a group of robbers terrorizing the streets of Hong Kong. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed is Region-Free and English-friendly.

Let the shootouts begin!

Johnnie To’s Breaking News is an ambitious but, ultimately, slightly disappointing film about the manipulative power of media. Its story revolves around a group of highly skilled professional robbers who attempt to outsmart the police in a busy district of Hong Kong. They unleash a chain reaction of tragic events that causes an all-out confrontation between the media, local government officials, and the police. In 2005, Breaking News earned four Hong Kong Film Awards nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won the prestigious Film of Merit award, granted by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society.

Breaking News opens up with an intense shootout scene where a cop is killed on live TV. The footage forces Commissioner Rebecca Fong (Kelly Chen, Infernal Affairs) to step up. Amidst a sea of reports addressing HKPD’s actions, she begins to feed the media with information meant to calm the situation. Unfortunately, the robbers continue to cause all sorts of problems that allow the media to have a field day with HKPD.

Approximately two-thirds of Breaking News takes place in a massive apartment complex where the robbers manage to barricade themselves. To’s camera follows them closely and only occasionally allows us to see what takes place outside of the building, where the media is reacting to Commissioner Fong’s news feeds. Towards the end of the film, To introduces a few split screens, simultaneously showing footage from the media’s coverage and the confrontation between the cops and the robbers inside the apartment complex, illustrating how easy it is to manipulate TV audiences.

Generally speaking, the action sequences in Breaking News are well done. They are also in sync with what To has favored in his previous films – fast camera zooms followed by slow-motion footage, plenty of close-ups, and catchy ambient tunes popping up during key scenes. Unsurprisingly, the actual shootouts tend to be overly aggressive and notably loud.

Those of you who have seen a good number of To’s films will recognize plenty of familiar faces in Breaking News -- Nick Cheung as Inspector Cheung (Exiled), Richie Ren as Yuen (Exiled), Cheng Sui-Fai as Eric Yeung (Election II), Hui Siu Hung as Hoi (Hidden War), Suet Lam as Yip (Sparrow) and, of course, Simon Yam as Commissioner C.K. Wong (Sparrow). The characterizations are good, but the overall quality of the acting is difficult to describe as impressive.

Breaking News ends on a positive note but, in the grand scheme of things, this is of little importance. It is the message that is channeled through its story that matters -- director To makes a good case about the manipulative power of contemporary media, which can alter what is perceived by the general public as reality.

Breaking News Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.31:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Johnnie To's Breaking News arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors MegaStar.

The film looks good in high-definition. Generally speaking, delineation, clarity, and depth are quite pleasing. Colors look vibrant but natural as well. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. There are a few areas with sporadic mild softness, but this is a fluctuation that is introduced by the original cinematography. Image stability is excellent. For the record, the transfer is free of annoying specks, marks, stains, or debris. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray release is marketed as Region-A "locked", it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Breaking News Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the remaining two tracks for the purpose of this review.

The audio treatment Johnnie To's Breaking News has received is far more impressive than the video treatment addressed above. The Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track reveals plenty of activity in the rear channels, solid and full-bodied bass as well as pleasing high-frequencies (there are absolutely no distortions in the upper register that I could detect). The abundance of shootout scenes, especially from inside the apartment complex, are really quite impressive. Naturally, the Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track brings out all sorts of tiny details (empty shells falling on the concrete floor, sizzling weapons, etc) that I believe many of you will appreciate. Furthermore, the dialog is just as crisp, clear and very easy to follow. It is also well balanced with Ben Cheung and Ching Chi Wing's evocative and very effective soundtrack. This said, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report here.

As mentioned earlier, I viewed a few of the more active scenes from Breaking News with the Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 track. As expected, the basics are intact. However, it is fairly evident that the rear channels are not as active. Additionally, the bass remains rather pleasing, though I certainly think that when blended with the impressive surround activity from the Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, it is actually far more effective. Finally, I would like to mention that MegaStar have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Breaking News Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In addition to a gallery of trailers - (Breaking News, Exiled, and Naked Weapon), all encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, 1080p and subtitled in English – on this Blu-ray disc you will also find a very short "Behind The Scenes" featurette, encoded with MPEG-2 (standard-def). Unfortunately, the featurette arrives with imposed Chinese subtitles. Therefore, I cannot comment on its content.

Breaking News Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is a good reason why Johnnie To's films are often screened at major international festivals - they have a style of their own. Typically, they also feature fascinating characters with terrific stories to tell. Breaking News is not one of the Hong Kong director's best films, but it is nevertheless entertaining. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of MegaStar, is of good quality. If looking to diversify your library with something not overly exotic, give Breaking News a try. Recommended.