Newsmakers (2009): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2009, Newsmakers is an action, thriller, drama and crime film directed by Anders Banke, running about 107 minutes.

What it’s about. A gang of crooks robbing cash collectors, run into a police surveillance team and the inadequate police response results in a gunfight. A TV crew on assignment in the area happens to capture this humiliation on camera, and this example of police incompetence is soon the lead story in every news bulletin. Public confidence in law and order now suffers irreparable harm. The head of the Moscow force welcomes a public search-and-destroy operation against these thugs, the brainchild of Katya, his PR director. She proposes that the capture of this dangerous gang be transformed into a live TV show of a kind never seen before. At this point she cannot know that the gang leader's life-and-death struggle with the police is destined to lead to a media duel. Besieged in a huge apartment block, the crooks hold hostage a father and his son and daughter. A massive special forces rescue operation is mounted but fails miserably.

Who’s in it. Newsmakers stars Andrey Merzlikin as Smirnov, Yevgeni Tsyganov as Herman, Maria Mashkova as Katya and Sergey Garmash as Killer, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.3/10, Newsmakers has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Newsmakers page.

If you liked it. Fans of Newsmakers tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.