Election (Hak se wui) poster & wallpaper

Simon Yam, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Louis Koo

ELECTION is Hong Kong's answer to The Godfather. Amidst the modern world mixed with old tradition, The Wo Shing Triad exists in Hong Kong, its shadowy power intertwined everywhere. Every two years, ...( read more  read more... )an election is held to vote in the next Chairman, who is the leader of the largest and oldest Triad in Hong Kong. Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fi), a megalomaniac and violent leader squares off against the respected and level headed Lok (Simon Yam) for the Election. In order to gain the respect of the groups, Lok and Big D unleash their forces in search of the Dragon Baton, the traditonal symbol of power and authority of the Chairman, and war breaks loose until the baton is recovered. Also starring Louis Koo, Nick Cheung and Cheung Siu Fai, ELECTION throws you into the dark underworld of Hong Kong and China in the midst of a battle for power and supremacy.

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80% liked it

5,117 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

22 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Johnny To

Release Date: May 14, 2005

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DVD Release Date: November 6, 2007

Stats: 419 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (419)

  • organgrinder136
    June 24, 2009
    organgrinder136
    i felt a bit robbed as there's so many characters which make it so very complicated. i mean, the bit with the guy on the motorbike and the guy in the car... they went to retrieve the baton but who for? and who were the people they got it off? i got the impression there was a thir...( read more)d side involved in the search for the baton... but i couldn't tell. either this is one that needs to be watched several times or it's just simply totally over-rated. i even went back and watched various scenes over again after finishing the movie once and even going over parts and trying to find characters names in one scene to the next i still couldn't make head nor tail of it. the action was great... maybe hong kong cinema should stick to action flicks
  • rubystevens
    April 13, 2009
    rubystevens
    a really interesting look inside the hong kong triads
  • KhrisP
    February 22, 2009
    KhrisP
    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.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    August 19, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Good direction and performances, convulted script. I heard the sequel is better, still, worth a watch for Simon Yam's performance, seriously, the guy steals like almost every movie he appears in.
  • EarthlyAlien
    February 26, 2008
    EarthlyAlien
    Johnnie To is one of the most talented and prolific Hong Kong directors today. Although I'm a big HK cinema fan, I've only just recently caught on to his magic, as the few films that I have seen from him in the past (The Mission, Breaking News) were mildly interesti...( read more)ng, but didn't have any of the spark or creativity of his better works. Then I was fortunate enough to watch his 2006 flick Exiled and, yeah, that one did make me take notice. Now I have the good fortune of reviewing his 2005 film Election, as well as its sequel, Triad Election, recently released on DVD by Tartan Films, and just added to my DVD collection.

    Photobucket

    The first of a two part set centered around the Hong Kong Triads, Election is a film that clearly draws a lot of inspiration from Western - particularly American - gangster films (Johnnie To is a self-admitted Coppola fan). There's tons of these films floating around, but To seems to have an innate ability bring out the best from this familiar genre.

    Every two years there's an election held in Hong Kong, one for the Chairman of Hong Kong Triads. The bosses from the various regional groups come together to elect one undisputed leader. This particular election concerns the contestants for the Wo Sing Society: Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai) and Lok (Simon Yam). Their styles and mannerisms could not be any more different. Big D is simply a human time bomb, walking around with a lit fuse. Lok, on the other hand, is a gentleman, a family man and is as apt to use his brains as he would brute force. The two are run neck and neck in the tight election. Eventually, Lok pulls ahead and wins the election, but Big D refuses to acknowledge defeat. An all important symbolic Dragon Head baton is to be given to the newly elected Triad leader. That baton is currently in mainland China and Big D plans to retrieve it before Lok does. Furthermore the Hong Kong police are aware of the situation and are ready to come down hard on the group to prevent an all out gang war. Lok is now placed in the ultra delicate position to maintain face by going forward as the Chairman of the Triads, while avoiding an all out war with Big D. The fate of Hong Kong Triads lays in the balance.

    That's how Johnny To's Election begins. One of the more impressive aspects about the film is the dizzying amount of great performances placed into the film. From Simon Yam to Tony Leung Kai Fai, Tian-lin Wang and Nick Cheung and many others, these guys all bring their A-game. What's even more remarkable about this fact is that the final result doesn't lead to a single performer coming out as the star of the show, rather the entire mystique of the Hong Kong Triads is what stays in your mind after watching the film.

    As fun as it was to watch all these great performances and the Johnnie To magic itself, the conclusion of the film didn't quite live up to all that promise. The final scene is set within a small island where monkeys surround the area. An easy allegory for the barbaric actions that would soon occur. The display of brutality that is then shown, appears to be created foremost for shock value and then as a simple lesson, that no matter how romanticized the Triad world can be, they still live in a primitive world where only the strongest survive. The problem with this? Just the simplicity of it, compared to all the double crosses and mind games hinted at in the first half of the film. Basically, I expected a great film and instead, Election turned out to be 'just' a good one.

    Even with that minor detail aside, there is still a lot to admire about the film. If you want a taste of the Hong Kong underworld, than Election will likely leave you amazed. Even if you don't care for the genre or that part of society, the suspense and plot developments should easily win you over. If you're a HK Film fan, then it must be on your 'Most Wanted' list already.
  • ualush
    August 23, 2009
    ualush
    Election is about a Triad society deciding on who to elect as the new chairman. The two candidates are Lok; one who respects the ways and traditions of the elders and Big D; a over the top do what it takes with no consequences or cost. Lok is elected, but with Triad tradition, to...( read more) take power the resigning chairman hands over a baton to the newly elected chairman. Big D sends his men to retrieve the baton to force his way into power, while Lok sends his to secure his elected position. Anything more will ruin the story.

    With another Johnnie To film watched, I've come to realize. When it comes to compelling stories and characters you can care about, he is one of the best. This film proved he doesn't have to rely on gun play to make a good movie. I will admit Exiled does both though. Only small complaint is the back stories of characters aren't explained. Hopefully it is for a reason and the sequel will prove why.
  • chocolatesoyadrink
    June 25, 2009
    chocolatesoyadrink
    Film number 1 iin my Johnny To megathon.

    If you're going to watch a bunch of Hong Kong gangster films, you can't go wrong with Johnny To.
    The guy has a sense of the moment that is so acute that once that moment has passed and the years have gone by, when you re-watch on of his f...( read more)ilms, you can instantly tell what decade it is from.
    Factor in Hong Kong's inimitably fast pace of fashion trend changes and you can even pin point which half of that decade the film comes from simply by looking at what the cool guy in it is wearing.

    Is that a good thing?
    Not always.

    What has this to do with the film?
    Not a lot but seeing as I've watched a bunch of his films recently, I thought it'd be a good idea to mention that so I can refer to this here later.

    So what about this film?
    Well, ever since Infernal Affairs re-ignited Hong Kong's love affair with gangster films, every director of note has been looking to make the next big thing, each one taking and making strong characters and immersing them in a slick and hi-tech modern Hong Kong in a bid to outflash or perhaps outcool, the next guy.

    That's where this one stands out.

    This films seems to do as much as it can to omit any real reference of the persiod in which it is set and clothes the characters in suits and haircuts that would be out of place in the 70s or 80s. Whereas Infernal Affairs is rife with modern technology, Election seems happier dealing with land lines and old boats and that is really where this film has its strengths.

    This is purely a film about the characters and more specifically, the different roles within the Triad society it portrays. Instead of looking at what they do, the film focuses on how they do it and why and it is this interplay between the different reasons of each players' actions that makes this so watchable.

    The film is not so much action filled but rather tension filled, much like in the way that the first Godfather film is and in a way, there is a feeling that is what this film tries to achieve as a response to the direction that gangster/cop films were going in 2005.

    Of course, if you watch more Johnny To films, you'll also realise that this deliberate pace of story telling is somewhat of a signature of the director but in this film, it just seems to work so much better.

    It is also refreshing that Hong Kong is shown in a much grittier light. We all know the gleeming glass towers and mega shopping malls but that isn't fitting of the low down "dirty hands" of grass roots Triads and the switch between the different environments as a reflection of the differernt mentalities/methods of the two lead players is a nice touch.

    Fantastic.
  • jimbotender
    March 25, 2009
    jimbotender
    A seminal picture of the new gangster genre.The criminal underground in To's illumination has no limits and no fears as to which is the outcome of any behavior.Sizzling with a dark,nightmarish attitude,superb editing process and a fascinating mood during the action scenes.The Ka ...( read more)Fai and Yam bout is like a chess game.
  • gelpadre
    November 4, 2008
    gelpadre
    Twas ok, preferred the Infernal affairs movie.
  • kienjean
    October 1, 2008
    kienjean
    Johnnie To will always be one of my favorite directors. He can handle this kind of genre as well as romance comedy.

    Simon Yam has becoming more professional and serious since PTU. I respect him more after PTU til today.

    Loius Koo, Nick Cheung & Maggie Siu are always there t...( read more)o make the picture more perfect.

    Nominated for 2005 Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm.

    Won Best Original screenplay and Best Sound Effects and another 8 nods including Best Picture & Best Director at Golden Horse.

    Won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor Tony Leung Ka Fai & Best Screenplay, namely 4 out of 10 nods at HK Film Awards.

    imdb.com tivias:

    Quentin Tarantino loved this film so much; his quote "The Best Film of the Year" is on this film's United States DVD cover.

    The porcelain spoon eating scene was based on Suet Lam's real life experience in triads.

View All Election (Hak se wui) Reviews

Critic Reviews

August 24, 2007
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The film's violence erupts in rare, staccato bursts, all the more horrifying for coming out of nowhere. full review

April 25, 2007
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Election, the first installment in Johnnie To's two-film Hong Kong gangland serial, is a densely plotted, pulpy procedural.

View more Election (Hak se wui) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • DragonEyeMorrison
    September 6, 2007
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Somebody called Jhonny To a chinese Tarantino? That would actally be the other way around, and not in a good way for QT to be exact.
  • stabino
    November 5, 2006
    stabino
    the synopsis for this movie on flixster is totally wrong! it's about two mafia bosses competing for the top position in Hong Kong.
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