A good crime drama well worth watching if only to set up the superb sequel
Added 1/18/2009
Despite a tight narrative, Johnnie To's Election feels at times like it was once a longer picture, with many characters and plot strands abandoned or ultimately unresolved. Some of these are dealt with in the truly excellent and far superior sequel, Election 2: Harmony is a Virtue/Triad Election, but it's still a dependably enthralling thriller about a contested Triad election that bypasses the usual shootouts and explosions (though not the violence) in favor of constantly shifting alliances that can turn in the time it takes to make a phone call. It's also a film where the most ruthless character isn't always the most threatening one, as the chilling ending makes only too clear: one can imagine a lifetime of psychological counselling being necessary for all the trauma that one inflicts on one unfortunate bystander.
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The ultimate 1-upmanship. . .
Added 8/5/2008
If you can find the two-disc special edition from HK, that is your best bet.
Let me start out by saying that I really didn't know what to expect going in to this one. I had heard it mentioned quite a bit whenever someone brought up director Johnnie To. But I wasn't familiar with the story or even the style of the film. My To experience is usually equated to "Exiled" or "The Mission", a little more action-based.
But "Election" turned out to be a fantastic gangster drama. For most of us fans of Asian films, triads tend to be stock bad guys that rogue cops and kung fu vigilantes hunt down to exact their revenge. I enjoyed this because it gave a real perspective and depth to a group of characters we've seen hundreds of times, but never really gotten to know.
Like the "Godfather" saga (1 and 2) it's not just about guns and illegal activities. It's about family, leadership, tradition, personalities, conflicts, and so much more. The story is basically about the bi-annual triad chairman election and the two top candidates and their power-plays to get the top spot. It's the nice, level-headed conservative candidate vs. the rock star.
What I loved about this film is the way it played out like a chess game. You sit back eagerly waiting to see what the player's next move will be. And it's all captured with that fantastic Johnnie To style. Very smooth and dynamic, with an excellent, inconspicuous musical score.
The story is one set of twists and turns after another. Sometimes you see what's coming and sometimes you don't. Fans of movies like "Infernal Affairs" should really enjoy this. But it is not an action flick. If you're looking for kung fu or guns, not here. You'll be doing some heavy reading at times on the subtitles, but it's worth it.
The story feels a little unfinished. . .because it is. Part 2 picks up exactly where you want it to, and it's based around the characters you want it to be. Checking out both is a must.
Bottom line, anyone who's into crime dramas or gangster films should definitely enjoy this one. It's not as over-the-top as "Scarface" or as epic as "The Godfather". But "Election" can certainly hold its own with the best of them.
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Behaviors occurring behind the scenes in the modern world
Added 10/8/2007
ELECTION (Hak Se Wui, 1995) starring Simon Yam (reprising his role as
a triad godfather as seen in CASINO 1997 by Billy Tang, for ex§) is a
movie intended for fans of this genre, underlying the testosterone,
discipline and ancient traditions aspects of masculinity.
Either the script's writer had a bad nightmare on which this movie
was constructed, or the writer simply decided to show a very limited,
narrow range of what comprises humanity, and understanding the latter
either poorly, or not heving been exposed to very much of it, in
reality.
The aforementioned aspects seems to eat away at the classy aspects
that a picture craves, this film suffering also from the homicidal
behavior that the movie shows at the 90 min mark.
The strong point of this picture, is a story centering on the
election of a triad successor, which the audience will recognize as
similar to modern politics. Any strategy is good, to get to the top
...payoffs to electors preparing to cast their votes to win their
favor, maneuvering, violence, kidnappings, brutality, financial
enticements all the while, with a law enforcement presence that
delays, complicates and hinders the entire underground electoral
process.
Key street-level bosses are called in a meeting, to vote for one
candidate or another, raising their hand to signal their approval.
Interestingly, the defeated candidates don't abandon victory so soon
or easily, fully conscious that it's fully possible to gain the upper
hand and coerce opponents with some effort and skill, from their
genetic make-ups as triad leaders having climbed to the top, to the
point of being candidates for the top dog position.
The film is no-nonsense, preferring to show only professional
dealings vs. a wide spectrum of emotions, such as humor, sex,
drinking, amusement or other lighter sides of things, which is
unrealistic, in terms of accepting the proposition overall in terms
of both private and public lives that make up these trial people.
An aspect underlined is loyalty, an oath taken by soldiers in the
triad, to the point that, a member is made to break his porcelain
spoon, crack it and eat it on the orders of his boss, without
questioning, much as military soldiers are trained to do, in a
pavlovian reaction. Other instances show the ruthlessness and
willingness to die openly admitted by members, in favor of their
gang, their minds stamped with the triad's codified rules of conduct,
as a brotherhood, with and loyalty standing above everything else.
Cash generating activities are referenced, such as drugs, gambling,
black market reselling of tainted chickens and commodities, etc.
The filming is very good, with a pleasing high-quality widescreen,
showing Hong Kong, mostly in closed meetings, versus open air,
outdoor locations, from which the movie somewhat suffers, coupled
with a decision to create suspense and tension over 1 hour over the
pursuit of a dragon baton symbol.
A sarcastic criticism of the law, is made, when a top law officer is
presented, and openly admits having reached the top of the echelon by
having agreed early in his career to infiltrate a gang, betray their
trust, later busting them with incriminating evidence, suggesting
dishonorable conduct among that law officers, and that they, the
triad members, are the true honorable men, self-righteous as they
are.
The difficulty in controlling 50,000 to 300,000 men, all belonging to
underground triad organizations is understood by these, which limits
the range of crackdowns they can carry out.
A clear decision was made to limit action scenes in the movie, and to
limit the presence of guns and bullets almost entirely, which eats
away at the entertainment aspects of the movie, too.
Overall, in addition to the above aspects, ELECTION will interest
those viewers who tend to believe there is more than what meets in
the eye, in terms of cash flows, businesses, commerce, and political
icons in the modern world.
There are behaviors occurring behind the scenes, secret
organizations, not unlike Freemasonry for example. Also those who are
at the top, much like the boss in any corporation, only with much
difficulty will relinquish his position. More likely, they are
ever-vigilant of any new competitor arriving to whom the godfather
position in the triad, consciously, or unconsciously, appeals to
them, and will take them out if needed, promptly.
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How far are they willing to go?
Added 5/4/2007
"Election" directed by Johnnie To, is an engaging action thriller that manages to entertain the spectator, but that might scare some people due to numerous scenes of violence.
The two main characters are Lok (Simon Yam) and Big D (Tony Leung), the two main candidates to become the new chairman of one of Hong Kong's most importants triads, the Wo Shing Society. The senior members of the The Wo Shing Society have the power to choose the next president, and will do so in a triad-run election. But how far is each of these candidates willing to go in order to have absolute power? And where do tradition, loyalty and duty stand in modern times?
These questions, and some more, will be answered if you give "Election" a chance. This is the first movie I watch by this Hong Kong director, and I liked it well enough to know I will try to find out more about his work. From my point of view, this film is not perfect (3.5 stars out of 5), but it original, and well-worth seeing, if you can stand the sometimes shocking violence. If that is the case, recommended...
Belen Alcat
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Election
Added 10/18/2006
The time has come, as it does every two years, for the senior members of Hong Kong's oldest Triad, The Wo Shing Society, to elect a new chairman. Fierce rivalries emerge between the two eligible candidates, Lok, respected by the Uncles is the favourite to win. But his rival Big D will stop at nothing to change this, including going against hundreds of years of Triad tradition and influencing the vote with money and violence.
When Wo Shing's ancient symbol of leadership, the Dragon's Head Baton, goes missing, a ruthless struggle for power erupts and the race to retrieve the Baton threatens to tear Won Shing in two.
Can Wo Shing balance their traditional brotherhood ways with the cut-throat modern world of 21st century business?
3 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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Triad Election
Added 8/25/2008
Wonderful movie. Highly recommend if you like gangster style movies. Not that much blood, very entertaining plot. Liked it better than Election.
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Johnnie To on top form
Added 12/28/2007
The ever-reliable Johnnie To's Election 2: Harmony is a Virtue aka Triad Election is in many ways more impressive and definitely more ambitious than its predecessor even though it lacks its relentless forward momentum. Where the first film was a literal relay race, this is more of a distance event, but it's a much more engrossing look at the nature and politics of corruption. It does amp up the violence from the first film, particularly in one literally grinding sequence, but it never deteriorates into a gore show, focusing less on Simon Yam's Triad chairman after a second term than reluctant contender Louis Koo, contrasting the one's troubled relationship with his son (who qualified for a lifetime in therapy at the end of the first film) with the other's hopes for his future offspring. It ends with the possibility of hope for one son but the certainty of damnation for another that hasn't even been born, the film bookended by scenes at the same location, the first full of sunlight and promise and confidence, the second dark and cloudy as one character finds that the price of respectability is the very violent life he wants to turn his back on. It's also surprisingly critical of the corruption in the Chinese government, implying that its collusion with Triad gangsters goes way beyond mere backhanders but is actually a deliberate part of government policy as a means of exerting social control in Hong Kong through close ties with organised crime - a particularly perverse irony considering the Triads' origins as political rebels exiled from the mainland who became corrupted by crime. Unsurprisingly, it seems to have been banned in Mainland China.
Incidentally, although there is talk of a longer version existing because of three striking scenes in the film's trailers (including a Chinese execution, the open grave of the first film's last victim and a funeral), an interview on the 2-disc Hong Kong Panorama DVD reveals that these scenes were cut by To prior to release.
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Stylish but Monotonous Hong Kong Gangster Flick.
Added 10/10/2007
"Triad Election" is a sequel to director Johnnie To's 2005 Hong Kong gangster film "Election". At this point in the saga, criminal societies must adapt to Chinese rule, which serve as a sort of metaphor for Hong Kong's adjustment to its new place in China since 1999. Jimmy Lee (Louis Koo) has been very successful in his business of pirated DVDs thanks to the support of the Wu Sing Triad and its Chairman Lok (Simon Yam). Now Jimmy plans to leave the criminal world behind for a major legitimate business venture in China. But the Chinese Security Bureau sees the upcoming election for Chairman of Wu Sing as an opportunity to guarantee cooperation from the Hong Kong gangs. They refuse Jimmy permission to do business in China unless he can win the Chairman election himself and advance their agenda of stability and prosperity.
"Triad Election" is stylish and atmospheric. Jimmy Lee is a charismatic and suitably sociopathic protagonist. The story has a vague logic. The tone is somber. There are flashes of humor and flirtations with irony. But the great majority of time is spent on the gruesome fight for Chairman between Lok and his reluctant challenger Jimmy. It's monotonous and predictable. I was bored. There is next to no character development, so the film doesn't engage the audience on that level. The comment on adapting to Chinese authority and the film's picture of the younger generation of more independent gangsters may have more meaning for a Hong Kong audience than for me. But "Triad Election" simply presents these ideas; it doesn't explore them. This is a moderately entertaining exercise in style. In Cantonese with optional subtitles.
The DVD (Tartan Video 2007): "The Making of Triad Election" (6 min) interviews director Johnnie To and actor Louis Koo about how the effects of Chinese rule in Hong Kong are expressed in the gangs in the movie. "Interview with Lam Suet" (17 min) is a question-and-answer interview with the actor, who plays the gangster Big Head, about his work on both of the "Election" films, working with director To, and how he started in acting. "Interview with Lam Ka Tung" (14 min) follows the same format in interviewing the actor who plays Lok's ally Kun. He also talks about his character in both films and his on-set injury. Bonus features are in Cantonese with subtitles. There is also a theatrical trailer. Subtitles are available for the film in English and Spanish.
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