Votes and violence

>> Triad Election is a fine capper
to Johnny To’s Triad saga

by MARK SLUTSKY

Hate to deliberately limit this article’s readership, but to not issue this warning right off the bat would be unfair. So here it is: if you haven’t seen Johnny To’s excellent and exciting Hong Kong gangster movie Election, stop reading now. Or better yet, stop reading, go see it—you really should—and then come back and finish the rest of the article. There’s just no way to talk about Triad Election (aka Election 2), without spoiling some of the first movie’s great surprises.

Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way: Triad Election is not essential viewing if you’ve seen the first movie, which stands on its own, but not the other way around. It’s the weaker of the two films, not quite as brilliantly plotted, but that said, it’s still a very satisfying thriller. It’s a more straight-ahead narrative, though To still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Set two years after the first Election, the movie follows the next campaign cycle after the victory of the mild-mannered but ruthless Lok (Simon Yam). Now his term of ruling the Wo Sing Triad is coming to an end, and he’s reluctant to relinquish power, despite having made promises of support to his underlings, Kun (Ka Tung Lam) and Jet (Nick Cheung).

At the same time, fellow gang member Jimmy (Louis Koo) is looking to go legit, having lined up a profitable land development deal in mainland China. But everyone wants him to run for chairman—including the Chinese police, for reasons of their own—and, against his will, he’s blackmailed into joining the race.

Like the first movie, Triad Election stays away from flashy, over-choreographed action, though it’s spotted with scenes of extreme violence, even more brutal than what occurs in the last film. Yeah, we’re talking sledgehammers and meat-grinders here, real nasty stuff, though it should be noted that no one ever fires a gun. The real focus, and fun of this movie, is in the intrigue, the scheming, the plotting, as the conflicted Koo struggles to get away from the mob by vying to become its most important member ever. Both movies are full of that kind of irony, just one element of the thoughtfulness that makes the Election saga special.

Triad Election opens this Friday, June 15

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