MOVIE REVIEW - Election (2005)

aka – Hak se wui

Director: Johnnie To
Starring: Simon Yam, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung

This is definitely not to be confused with Alexander Payne’s 1999 black comedy that dealt with a high school president election and the conflicts that come from running for election. Surprisingly this film does actually cover some of the same themes but in the setting of a triad council election. And this is a lot less funny.

Lok (Yam) and Big D (Leung) are the two gangsters seeking the position of chairman but they go about it in different ways. Big D likes to let his money doing the talking, trying to buy his votes from the council elders, where as Lok is a man of the people, garnering respect and admiration from the locals. When the vote doesn’t go the way one man wants all hell threatens to break loose within their triad society.

The subject matter of this delves into the inner workings of a triad society, showing that a lot of the time it isn’t about the muscle of being a gangster. Like in a early scene the elders are discussing their votes around cups of tea. The actual process of election, even within a crime syndicate is ordered and essentially civilized. The society believes in tradition, hence the chairman who is stepping down must back the new one as well as handing over a baton, this item becomes central to the plot.

We are also shown how the police and the triad interact. Triad members are constantly being arrested and held in suspicion, but never charged, in order to keep balance. It seems everything as in all life comes down to the balance of power, the ying and yang. You can’t have it weighed too much one direction or you lose control.

Johnnie To’s low key direction is important to keeping the viewer hooked to the screen, at times not much is happening but you don’t feel that. With the help of great performances from all the actors involved the experience becomes intense building up to a shocking climax that reminds you who these people really are. They are just gangsters and this is life for them.

Overall: Another Hong Kong film worthy of respect. 9/10