"If it bleeds, it leads," an old journalism statement, applies to both sides of the law in Breaking News. This Hong Kong action drama comes from Johnnie To, a director whose recent films (Exiled, Triad Election) have tended to focus more on morally-shifty ilk, an attitude that, in the case of this picture, counts as much for the cops as for the robbers. As a flat-out crime picture, Breaking News is pretty good stuff, but as a not-so-subtle examination of how much the media effects everyday life, it's even better.

In a five-minute uncut shot opening the movie, we see a sting operation -- designed to trap a gang of thieves -- quickly spiraling out of control, resulting in an intense shootout between the would-be perpetrators, led by the suave Yuen (Richie Jen), and the police, led by the determined Cheung (Nick Cheung). But not only do the bad guys get away, footage of a police officer begging for mercy is captured by a news crew, sending a wave of bad publicity crashing down upon the force. Thus, when the cops manage to track down the gang's hideout, ambitious Deputy Commissioner Fong (Kelly Chen) decides to seize the opportunity to restore the peoples' faith in the police and air their capture in living color. Unfortunately, actually catching the crooks is easier said than done, as Yuen and his crew resort to using firepower to combat the law as well as the media. 

Breaking News definitely benefits from its director's refusal to take sides as far as the story is concerned. Had this been a cut-and-dry "good guys vs. bad guys" type of situation, the film would've been little more than a redressed, slightly more action-packed version of the ambitious but ultimately ho-hum 1997 drama Mad City. However, thanks to To's depiction of a police force worried more about its image than about anything else and a group of thieves who are more than just a handful of dumb thugs, the material is rather exciting. Director To knows when to inject some commentary into the plot and when to simply let the gunplay speak for itself. Still, Breaking News is not completely devoid of hackneyed moments, including its climax and a few instances in which the screenplay pretty much spells out its satirical intentions for viewers.

On the whole, Breaking News emerges as a very well-balanced picture that blends a slick style and smart storytelling into one satisfying package. The aforementioned opening sequence really is a corker, as are most of the action scenes scattered throughout, depicting the increasingly tense standoff between the hell-bent cops and the crooks who know just how to make them look like fools at all the right moments. To doesn't saturate the screen with gunfights galore but  has them naturally unfold over the course of the story's cat-and-mouse game, drawing viewers in with each instance instead of boring them to tears.

Jen and Cheung fare well as the story's opposing figureheads, but it's Chen who walks away with the picture's most memorable performance, playing the modern-day equivalent of Faye Dunaway's Network character. She pulls off the role with just the right balance of confidence and vulnerability. A veritable bulldog, Fong is smart enough to get by with countering the wily thieves at every turn. 

As more and more news outlets are falling victim to both advertisers and the wishes of their corporate owners, consider Breaking News to be a cautionary tale as well as a highly entertaining action flick. I admire its risky move of pointing out that even the "do-gooders" might have their own hidden agendas.

MY RATING: *** (out of ****)

(Released by Palm Pictures; not rated by MPAA.)