Election (Hak se wui) (2005)

• 
  
  April 27, 2010

  garyX

  The time has come for a Triad organisation to elect a new chairman, but the losing contender rejects the outcome and threatens to break away and form a new gang. Johnnie To's Election has been described as "the Asian Godfather", but I personally felt it had more of a Goodfellas v... read moreibe about it, particularly the grimly realistic violence that is made all the more so by the fact that the weapon of choice of these gangsters is the machete. The crux of the story revolves around a race for a ceremonial sceptre that is the traditional symbol of power for the organisation, but this format made the film feel like a 90 minute relay race as one character hands the "baton" to the next after occupying the screen for an all too brief length of time; in all there are nine characters vying for your attention (not even including the "bad" guys) which means few have any real chance to make any impact. Just when you think the set up is complete and the story is about to begin, the credits start rolling. In this way the film reminded me of the original X-Men film as it suffers from the same problem of introducing too many characters too quickly leaving little time for plot or characterisation of any depth. Having said that, it looks fantastic without losing any of its inherent grittiness and it feels like an interesting set up for a story yet to be told. For that reason, I'm hotly anticipating Election Volume Two.

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• 
  
  April 13, 2009

  rubystevens

  a really interesting look inside the hong kong triads

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• 
  
  February 22, 2009

  kpn666

  Totally and unbelievably excellent!!
  
  This is really the only movie that could stand up to THE GODFATHER as a true gangster movie. Its outright brilliant. Perfectly executed. Vicious. And for all hardcore thrill fans and those that loved the Godfather, you will be hooked!... read more!
  
  Election takes us into the world of the Triads. Every two years, a new chairman is voted to head the Wo Sing Triad. But this time, there are two contenders: the violent, energetic and dangerous Big D, (Tony Leung) who is admired for his tenacity and ability to earn money, but his short temper and inability for paitence leaves him undesired by the more level headed "Uncles" of the groups. His opposite is the calm, intelligent and equally dangerous Lok (Simon Yam), a patient, cunning gang leader who shows and equally earns respect from his peers. When Lok and Big D clash, the Wo Shing Triad is about to explode with infighting, unless Lok can negotiate a truce between the rival groups, and also handle the police and other competitors at the same time.
  
  This is brilliantly shot - perfect. The direction = fabulous. Johnnie To should be helmed directing top drawer Hollywood or Indie films, but the censors and tight ass producers will probably restrict his talents and skills, so he's better off in Hong Kong. The music -perfect match. Just like the Godfather had its theme, the score for Election is unique and well composed, the strings played beautifully, giving a melancholic sound in a smooth beat, which is flawless and suits the movie like the proverbial glove. The cast - well, too bad they arent the superb cast from The GODFATHER. But they are second to none. Most people are familiar with Jackie and Jet and Bruce. The cast is really the top gun veterans in Hong Kong outside of the previous 3, Simon Yam and Louis Koo being my personal favourites, usually underrated and left in the background when being cast in other movies with the international stars. Tony Leung should be no stranger to international films, his most recent popular movie to the general public being Hero, with Jet Li.
  
  The rest of the characters are well developed and played out so well, its like really feeling that these guys are he real deal, the same feeling you got when you "connected" with the Corleone Family.
  
  
  This is a must see for HK fans and Gangster movie lovers! Or anyone who respects top quality films.
  
  And it can prove it too, being a selection at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, Toronto, New York, Melbourne, Stockholm and many other Film festivals, broke the box office in Hong Kong, which was surprising for an R18+ movie in HK.
  
  Also, Winner of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay in the Hong Kong Film Awards....
  
  watch it yourself, it kicks ass! Literally.

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• 
  
  January 8, 2008

  skactopus

  Being a Johnnie To fan, I expect nothing but great films from him. Honestly, this is a disappointing film from Mr. To, but it is safe to say that even low Johnnie To films turn out much better than many other films out there.

  The story is everything you'd expect from a Johnnie

  ... read more To film. Gangs, cops, robbers, etc. Doesn't sound too interesting right? Well, once again the great cinematography and characters give this film some depth and make it a worthwhile watch. The beginning of this film is somewhat of a disappointment. There is a ton of character introductions and the premise of the story is unfolded. While it isn't all that bad, it just feels like you're average cops and gangsters film. The great aspects of a Johnnie To film don't kick in until about the 40 minute mark. From this point on the Johnnie To feeling sinks in and the film becomes much more enjoyable. Nice character transitions and some nice suspense keeps the movie interesting. Let me also mention that the ending is another let down. It feels lacking at places.

  The various characters in this film are played by the usual cast of characters. Simon Yam, Tony Leung Kai Fa, Nick Cheung, and Lam Suet should not be surprising to see. Maggie Shiu shows up again, but she is totally underused. Other than that, the acting is great.

  Johnnie To can produce some nice shootouts and in a film involving gangsters you would expect to get some masterpieces. Unfortunately you don't. In fact, this film really lacks in action. That's not to say that this film is boring, but a little action couldn't hurt.

  If you are a fan of Johnnie To, give this a watch. Just don't expect a masterpiece.

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• 
  
  July 19, 2007

  SarahG1988

  Election tells the story of how a Triad Society in Hong Kong chooses their new leader, or Chairman. Up for the job are Lok (Simon Yam), a seemingly mild-mannered, intelligent gangster and single parent to a young teen, and the explosive Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai), who wants the jo... read moreb at all costs. Bribery, bullying, and other means of extorting votes from the elder Triads have commenced in full as the story begins. It isn?t long before Lok is elected Chairman, but to fully assume power and be recognized as the new chieftain, he must first take control of a token baton passed on from one Society chief to the next for over 100 years. To this end, both Lok and Big D send out their underlings and allies in search of the baton, even as the police, led by the stout Superintendent Hui (former kung fu star David Chiang) clamps down.
  
  This is my first Johnnie To film and the first time I've seen actors such as Tony leung-Kai-Fai, Simon Yam and Louis Ko. By the end of the movie I felt that I needed to see more of To's films and more of Simon Yam, and Louis Ko. This is what I'll do soon!
  
  Well, Election is a resonable movie. I did like it and I didn't. Perhaps I was expecting more, as I heard such great things about Johnnie To, but did read some disappointing reviews of this. What the movies falls up on upon is the story is far too complicated. We have three different scenerios and many different charcaters, which you don't really know who they are or why. For example the film's secondry charcaters become more interesting than the primary characters. For instance we don't know what Jimmy does, what does he do exactly?Tony Leung Ka Fai, playing a serious character for once, delivers a colorful portrayal of the tactless Big D, but he seems to be overselling the role. Simon Yam is appropriately calm and scheming, with bursts of extreme violence that reminds you why this guy is a Triad in the first place.
  
  The film?s overabundance of characters, each with their own personal problems and agendas, seem to be an artificial attempt to inflate the film?s complexity, which doesn?t work because, simply put, there isn?t any complexity to be found here. There is an attempt to explore the nature of the Triad Societies, but it?s unfortunately not very interesting. It?s easy to ?get? that Triad elections are almost identical to political elections, but is that simple allusion really enough to sustain a whole film?
  
  On to more postove attributes. It does have all the makings of a classic ganaster film but just gets to caught up in it's own plot. The scnery is stunning. All the shots around Hong Kong make it more worth the while to watch the movie,despite the confusing plot. Election is brilliantly directed and contains, as I said before some brilliant acting.
  
  Now, I have to wait for Election 2 to be released on DVD and watch some more of Johnnie To.
  
  Overall, Election feels like a film geared up for the sequal. It's resonable and almost very good just is overly complicated stuff

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• 
  
  February 25, 2007

  deano

  Absolutely powerful tale of Hong Kong's largest and oldest criminal triad between the vengeance and betrayal.

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• 
  
  February 5, 2012

  juliomendez19941

  When it comes to movies about organised crime, people immediately think about The Godfather and Scarface because they are just memorable. Election could have been at the level of those movies, but is held back by some issues.
  
  Election is about rival gang leaders that are locke... read mored in a struggle to become the new chairman of Hong Kong's Triad society. I enjoy complexity in a movie, but my brain was really tested when in the first thirty minutes the movie just throws so much story at you that it was easy to loose to track. Thankfully I wasn't completely lost in it's story despite it throwing allot at you in the beginning. I may not know allot about the Triads works, but this movie did a great telling me about the Triads, it's social order, and has deep character development considering that movie has so many characters that it's easy to loose track of which gang members are together or rivals.
  
  For those of you expecting something like A Better Tomorrow will be disappointed, for those of you wanting a more creative approach won't be disappointed. It has a great atmosphere in this world of criminals and the camera work like in any Johnnie To is great. Johnnie To is an experts when it comes shooting scenes and it adds a sense of depth into this world. The actors are great always maintaining a great performance. Even though Election main problem may come from it's story it doesn't take away from the great work given to this movie.
  
  Election is not for everyone, the story does get complex really fast and it's easy to loose track of which characters are friends and which ones are enemies. For those who can look pass it flaws will find a great movie.

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• 
  
  March 18, 2008

  gator681

  [font=Century Gothic]In "Election," the biennial elections for the chairman of the Triad Wo Sing Society in Hong Kong are quickly approaching with the two main candidates, Lok(Simon Yam) and Big D(Tony Leung Ka Fai), doing their best to influence the Uncles of the society, even w... read moreith the police on everybody's backs. In the end, Lok wins but that does not stop Big D from trying to steal the election from him. To do that, he needs the Dragon Head Baton, which the previous chairman, Whistle(Wong Chung), has secreted away in Guangzhou province in China.[/font]
  [font=Century Gothic][/font]
  [font=Century Gothic]"Election" is a stylish crime drama where the emphasis is not on violence(for gangsters, these guys have very little use for guns) but on the messy process of democracy. Instead of the election unifying the society, division turns out to be the actual result, with both sides willing to do anything to lay claim to the crown, using methods that are straight out of the good old days of Chicago machine politics.[/font]

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• 
  
  January 29, 2008

  fb6025506

  Dark, harrowing, classic.

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• 
  
  January 24, 2010

  Fascade518

  Lesson learned while watching this epic. Never turn your back on a rival gangster..EVEN IF...a truce has been made. Bone crunching, and neck strangling ending is in store for those who watch this gangster flick. Amazingly...no guns or explosions were used....to enforce power. I s... read moreeen a rock, a knife, a stick...even paint thrown in a balloon...but...no gun or explosives...check it out. This is a true treat for those who have ever wanted to know what the Triad electorial process is all about.

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• Simon Yam as Lok
• Tony Leung Ka Fai as Big D
• Louis Koo as Jimmy
• Nick Cheung Ka-Fai as Jet
• Siu-Fai Cheung as Mr. Soo
• Suet Lam as Big Head
• Lam Ka-tung as Kun
• Wong Tin-lam as Uncle Teng
• Tam Ping-man as Uncle Cocky

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

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  Triad Election (Hak se wui yi wo wai kwai) (89%)
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