Gangster politics

>> Election is a coldly compelling
Hong Kong mob saga

by MARK SLUTSKY

With its measured tone and careful, intricate plotting, Election is a mob movie made with rare restraint, making for a coldly compelling saga of politics and violence in the world of the Hong Kong Triad gangs. Directed by the legendary Johnny To (who has an amazing 47 films to his credit), it’s the first part of a two-film series, though it stands completely on its own. (The second movie, Triad Election, opens here in two weeks.)

The movie’s plot revolves around a traditional ritual of the criminal Wo Sing Society, a Hong Kong Triad. Every two years, the Triad elects a new leader, who then steps down and never runs again. As the movie begins, a campaign cycle is winding down, and the two main contenders for the seat are Lok, a calm, intelligent family man who promises to expand the gang’s territory, and Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai—not to be confused with Tony Leung Chiu Wai, of Infernal Affairs and In the Mood for Love), a violent hot-head desperate to win.

Election is so brilliantly plotted that it would be a shame to give away any more specific story details. But it’s probably okay if you know that Big D is willing to buck tradition and do anything to win, leading to a tense struggle between he and Lok for a ceremonial staff that the leader of the Triad traditionally possesses.

One of the movie’s great touches is that most of this struggle occurs while the two are in adjacent jail cells and the various gang factions grapple amongst themselves, sometimes changing sides in mid-fight, as happens in one memorable scene. It’s intense, pure storytelling, and while the details are sometimes a little hard to follow, the movie’s plot is always fascinating, taking plenty of unexpected and satisfying turns.

It’s not flashy either—while there’s some severe violence and a couple of excellent fight scenes, the movie never postures or lays it on too thick. With its genial, familial gangsters, all addressed as “Uncle” or “Brother,” and its epic power struggle, Election has drawn some Godfather comparisons, but that’s not quite right—it doesn’t have that film’s sentimentality. Indeed, if anything, it’s detached, even cold. But that emotional reserve serves this story well, drawing you in even more to this excellent film.

Election opens this Friday, June 1

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