Cast Member: Nick Cheung

Not just one of the best thrillers to emerge from Hong Kong in a good few years, but also as good as many that have been released throughout Asia over the artistically-rich 21st century.

‘Breaking News’ is punctuated by tension-filled action set-pieces, but its main draw is the sharp characterisation and the insightful critique of the media that fills most of the running time.

There is no doubt that this quirky and engrossing production has its faults; not all of the loose ends are successfully tied up and those that are seem to work out a little too neatly.

This isn’t the best ever Hong Kong movie – it isn’t even the best ever Hong Kong gambling movie – but it could have been much worse.

‘Connected’ is outrageously entertaining and maintains its energetic momentum throughout.

‘Exiled’ is a riveting portrayal of a group of friends sticking by one another as their once chosen profession threatens to kill them all.

‘From Vegas To Macau II’ gets very mild commendation for a few nods to past glories and the occasional joke that doesn’t feel like waterboarding.

Packed with the deluge of banality and popular references that will doubtlessly age the film well before it’s time, this third part is every bit as frustrating and lazy as the one that came before it.

The result is every bit as slick as viewers have come to expect from the film-makers, but severely lacking in genre staples like tension or excitement.

‘Love Is Love’ is a skeletal rom-com with every feeling sucked out and populated by people you would cross the road, no the M4, to avoid.

‘My Name is Nobody’ (due to its budgetary constraints and modest scale) doesn’t hold a candle to the greats of the sub-genre, but it harbours one saving grace – and it’s a nasty one.

Some of the more eccentric moments do inspire a wry smile, but nothing to fully salvage the end product.