Daai si gin (2004)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Johnnie To

Writers:

Hing-Ka Chan (written by) &
Tin-Shing Yip (written by)

Release Date:

2004 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Plot:

When an ambulatory TV news unit live broadcasts the embarrassing defeat of a police battalion by five bank robbers in a ballistic showdown...

Plot Keywords:

Police | TV | Police Officer | Policeman | SWAT Team

Awards:

5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Richie Ren	...	Yuen (as Richie Jen)
Kelly Chen	...	Commissioner Rebecca Fong
Nick Cheung	...	Inspector Cheung
Siu-Fai Cheung	...	Eric Yeung (as Cheung Siu Fai)
Shiu Hung Hui	...	Hoi (as Hui Siu Hung)
Suet Lam	...	Yip (as Lam Suet)
Yong You	...	Chun (as You Yong)
Haifeng Ding	...	Long (as Ding Hai Feng)
Haitao Li	...	Chung (as Li Hai Tao)
Simon Yam	...	Asst. Commissioner C.K. Wong
Maggie Siu	...	Grace Chow (as Maggie Shiu)

Also Known As:

Breaking News (Hong Kong: English title) (Philippines: English title)
Da shi jian (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Runtime:

Hong Kong:90 min | Argentina:90 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival) | Philippines:88 min (cut)

Country:

Hong Kong | China

Language:

Cantonese | Mandarin | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Australia:M | Malaysia:18SG | Hungary:14 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:15 | France:U (with warning) | Singapore:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Argentina:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Media Asia Films

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Yip is dangling outside the window and the camera looks down, the street is full of pedestrians casually walking or standing around, and there are no police visible. The narrow street is also inconsistent with exterior shots showing a wide open space in front of the building, full of vehicles and people.

Movie Connections:

References Finding Nemo (2003)

Take The Next Plane to HK

The script is twisted and not exactly what you consider state-of-the-art in terms of European or American cinema. But it's Johnny To, so you know what you'll get. The cinematography is brilliant, the acting unfortunately mediocre, it isn't as intense as in Johnny To's last movie "Throwdown". But still I like this one better, for the Honk Kong pictures and the astonishing opening scene which was filmed uninterrupted for just about five minutes including camera elevations, camera entering appartments, a decent shoot out and a lot of 180° turns without any single cut. The staging of the action in the giant apartment building is tense and gives a disorientation that prepares you for any surprise. Gangsters on floor 9/C. Police on floor 8/B. But they need minutes to clash and one never knows what comes next. After short shootings everyone spreads in another direction and the situation is anything but clear. This is big cinema and gives a new idea how action and tension can be staged besides boring Hollywood standards. This movie owes greatly to the atmosphere of Hong Kong. Crowded streets, huge apartment blocks with the air conditions sticking out like giant bee hives, big limos... and not to forget all the different branches of HK police that always seem to quarrel with each other rather than fighting criminals. If anyone could explain the different branches of HK police and how they interact, feel free to send me an e-mail. There is no good and bad in this movie as the gangsters reveal sympathetic traits of character while cooking for the family taken hostage - they would have become rather cooks and own a restaurant than being "uncle killer" and "uncle bandit". The police appears to be completely disoriented and rather eager to get publicity than fighting the "bad" guys who are especially clever to use the media in their favor. The movie is probably ment as a satire on public organs such as the police and the manipulation of today's mass media to influence public opinion. As I'm no big philosopher I'm gonna stop evaluating right here. For all HK fans and everyone that enjoys a nice camera work including some shoot outs - you definitely have to watch this movie. I had the honor to attend a screening of this movie during the VIENNALE in Vienna on the giant "Gartenbau Kino" Screen.