Newsmakers -- Film Review

May 11, 2009 Based on Johnnie To's 2004 cult thriller "Breaking News," "Newsmakers" toys with deep-dish themes but ultimately is aimed at a far less demanding audience. In both films, hard-bitten cops chase cold-blooded crooks into a huge tenement project, precipitating a hostage situation during which both sides try to manipulate how the media presents the story. A botched stakeout in the Chertanovo district of Moscow results in a prolonged shootout between undercover cops led by Smirnov (Andrei Merzlikin) and a tight-knit, heavily armed gang of robbers fronted by Herman (Evgeni Tsyganov).

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