Trying to tread the ground of journalism-based dramas like All the President's Men, Samson Chiu's 1989 release News Attack does everything competently enough, but in the end, the results are a bit pedestrian, tired, and unexciting, making this an entry really only of interest for hardcore fans of Andy Lau who want to check out one of his earlier film roles.

Wilson Lam plays Yeung, an idealistic intern who reports to work at a paper run by the press veteran Wong (Eric Tsang). Yeung is teamed up with a hot-headed reporter, Turbo (Andy Lau), and a straight-laced writer, Chui (Michael Miu). Chui is obsessed with exposing the dirty secrets of a local tycoon, Pon (Wong Kam-Kong). Turbo is always looking for the next big story, so he readily jumps in, and since Yeung has a crush on Pon's girlfriend, pop star Tung (Cally Kwong), he joins up in the chase for the truth as well.

News Attack plays out pretty much right by the book, except for a few little things. For instance, do Hong Kong newspaper workers have an affinity for the song "When the Saints Com Marchin' In"? One has to wonder because the melody is repeated in the soundtrack several times, to the point that Andy and company do a full-on Chinese version while in a bar. It wasn't annoying or anything like that, but just struck this reviewer as an odd thing to place in what is in most respects a straight-forward drama -- which is saying a lot, considering how wacky Hong Kong movies can get.

But after taking away those little idiosyncrasies, we're left with an extremely average late 1980's Hong Kong drama. It appears that Samson Chiu didn't have much to work with, as he struggles to fill out News Attack's 91-minute running time by throwing in several montages, which, of course, are accompanied by Andy Lau's Cantopop hits of the time. There are a few attempts to liven things up, such as a couple of action scenes directed by and featuring Blacky Ko, as well as an off-putting segment where a forced abortion comes into play. Really, though, viewers of Hong Kong movies have probably seen this sort of thing done many times before, and most likely in a much more polished and exciting fashion.

RATING: 5