Election (2005)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Fantastic!

Captivating movie !

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This film has some great directing with its suspense theme and its few dramatic moments and also some great first class acting. Johnny To is a great and wonderful director. The cast was pretty neat too. But I found that there were major problems with the script. First of all the story doesn't seem to develop that much and isn't that interesting at all. The beginning was good and simple with them talking about the election and stuff. Then while it progressed all I saw was some people talking about how the election was going and stuff. There was no drama at all except for some scenes where they kidnapped a few members of the enemy elective party for ransom and also don't forget the shock that happened in the end which I won't reveal for spoiler reasons. The only that kept me moving in the film was some of the interesting facts they gave us about Triad street life in the movie. It's a movie I would watch once and never watch it again because it deserves some awards and recognitions for great acting and directing but should be laughed at for terrible story line.

This isn't as violent as I was expecting which makes the violent scenes appear all the more brutal and effective.There are a lot of twists and turns and back stabbing and double crossing all the way through the film making it hard to know who's side a particular character is on.The plot is pacey with some good dialogue and character development and gives an interesting view of the workings of the Triad gang it follows.The violence when it comes is brutal, no guns or martial art scenes with special effects, this is believable in your face violence and for all the dialogue you are never allowed forget that the Triad is a violent criminal organisation.The ending is surprising but thoroughly consistent and believable.

The issue with IMDb in regards to foreign films such as 'Election' is that inevitably few have seen the film, fewer have chosen to put themselves in the firing line with a synopsis, and all will mark begrudgingly out of preference and favouritism rather than critical accuracy. Was I expecting more from this film? Given that it was on offer, I had finance at hand, and I purchased with intent to merely fill up my East Asian collection, no. Given that the film was Johnny To, was an official Cannes selection and had won as many awards as the impeccable Infernal Affairs, the answer is a resounding yes.Without wishing to sound too condescending before hitting the heart of the review, you can often (not always) gauge the credibility of a film based on where the "quotes" on the DVD box have originated. In England, the usual credible resources are Empire, The Observer/Guardian, probably The Independent and for the most part Johnathon Ross, so given that this film has been brandished a five star rating by "NEO" sent alarm bells ringing, but I am open minded, and do not let nonsense like that sway my opinion. Election is severely interesting on the basis of it being a pure triad film. Obviously my knowledge of the organisation is severely limited, but from what I can ascertain this is as "realistic" as you will get, next to standing in the room itself, as the rituals and ceremonies have all been meticulously planned, structured and filmed. In this sense, Election manages to bring out the very best in Eastern cinema, the rich culture (despite the notorious background of the Triad) steeped in tradition holding important virtues and values such as honour, which have all too often have been left behind in the Middle Ages. Election provides what can only be described as a rare insight, and chances are you will not find another film (barring Volume II) which will be as true and as accurate as this. Other plus points include the strength of the cinematography, typically shot in clean contrast with vivid colours and engaging compositions, while the acting is convincing with some slick performances from Tony Leung and Simon Yam.Election confronts the issue of the modern globalised world coming into conflict with the traditions of heritage of the triad which are seemingly being swamped by the sheer force of power the outside world, and in particular capitalism, possesses. However, and yes it was inevitable, the script, despite having won the award for Best Screenplay at the Hong Kong Film Festival is decidedly average if not poor. The performances aside, it does very little to engage you as an audience, nor does it contain a gravitas to sweep you off your feet and cart you away down a roller-coaster ride, and perhaps this is the directors want. However The Godfather, for example was a film which had a relatively slow paced storyline, yet you were utterly immersed for nigh on three hours, with Election the 100 minutes, feels like three hours, and that is not a good thing. Not enough actually takes place on screen to engage you, there are debates among elders about who should be the next Chairman, you see the candidates approach other members of the triad to ask for their support, you see more debating, you see various characters obviously being set up to be more important in volumes II and III, and you see some good acting go to waste with not much happening. I did want to like this film immensely, and I gave it all the time it needed, but it did not give me that essential x-factor which grabs you and slaps you around, so that when all is finished you need a moment to recover. There are many plus points, and I don't discount the possibility that I could be proved wrong on all these counts when viewed as an entire trilogy, but as a singular film Election falls into the trap so many foreign films do, excellent intentions, decent execution, and that is this film in a nutshell, it's decent. Don't expect a rip-roaring wild ride, expect a fairly entertaining trip, a leisurely drive through the world of the triads with acting that is superb but a story which is average, stunning visuals and clichéd endings. One review (from "Total Film" *insert raised eyebrow here*) calls this "unflinching brutality", and if you were expecting a whole lot more, it certainly can be.

Every two years, a new movie comes to prove that Hong-Kong cinema is well alive and still has a word to say to the international world of cinema. In 2001, "Time and Tide" reelected Tsui Hark as one most inventive director alive, in 2003, "Infernal Affairs" proved that HK thrillers are still better than American ones, and now, Johnny To wants to be elected as the new ambassador of HK cinema, as the selection of his two last movies at the international Cannes film Festival proves it. But if "Election" is a good and entertaining movie, it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre.Every two years, one of the most important triad of Hong-Kong has to elect his boss, through a democratic way, where the older decides who can run and win the election. The movie deals with one of this election, which soon becomes a death fight between the two main candidates : the calm and cold-hearted Lok (magistraly interpreted by Simon Yam) and the crazy and dangerous Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai). Everything that could help to win the election is now permitted : from corruption to torture, and nothing will be spared.So the film is quite enjoyable, for it's always nice to see a classical and well done HK triad movie. It really looks like a mid-nighties HK polar, from its atmosphere (and particularly the photography and the direction, with a camera always moving) to its actors. The main influences are still Melville and Coppola, with maybe a new touch of Kitano here (for the character of Big D.) 1997 finally didn't affect too much the way Hong-Kong makes movies, and although we knew it for some time now, it's always a pleasure to have a confirmation.But the problem is that "Election" really lacks of originality, where Tsui Hark brought some crazy experimental elements and "Infernal Affairs" a more realist tone, "Election" didn't really bring anything new. And if the movie is realist and even didactic (you learn a lot about the triad rituals and the way it works while you're watching it), it also lacks of action and tension. Of course, there is one big fight scene (with knives, blades and foots : you won't find any elaborated John Woo's style gunfight in this film : for there is absolutely no gun in it !) it is quite short and rather confused. And there almost no dramatic tension in it : a long scene shows a sort of relay to catch a scepter, which will decided the winner of the election, and as no real suspense in it (even if it's quite fun to watch).And one last thing I didn't really appreciate about the movie is its photography, which is very dark (and by dark I mean dark : you sometimes can't see anything but a black screen with a point of light somewhere very far). This style, which is familiar to Johnny To - he uses it in PTU for instance - doesn't really help the narration, which is already a little complicated, especially in the beginning of the movie, when you're not well aware of all the relations between the characters and of the triad complex rituals. Fortunatly, this problems will almost all be erased in the sequel of the film, "Election 2", which is definitely worst seeing.