Election (2005 film)

Election
Traditional	黑社會
Simplified	黑社会
Mandarin	Hēi Shè Huì
Cantonese	Hak1 Se5 Wui2
Directed by	Johnnie To
Written by	Yau Nai-hoi Yip Tin-shing
Produced by	Dennis Law Johnnie To
Starring	Simon Yam Tony Leung Ka-fai Louis Koo Nick Cheung
Cinematography	Cheng Siu-Keung
Edited by	Patrick Tam
Music by	Lo Ta-yu
Production companies	Milkyway Image One Hundred Years of Film
Distributed by	China Star Entertainment Group
Release date	20 October 2005 (2005-10-20)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Languages	Cantonese Mandarin
Box office	US$2,191,782[1]

Election (Chinese: 黑社會; literal title: Black Society, a common Cantonese reference to the triads), is a 2005 Hong Kong crime film directed by Johnnie To. Featuring a large ensemble cast, the film stars Simon Yam and Tony Leung Ka-fai as two gang leaders engaged in a power struggle to become the new leader of a Hong Kong triad.

The film premiered as an "Official Selection" at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival,^[2] before being released in Hong Kong on 20 October 2005, with a Category III rating. A sequel to the film, Election 2 (also known as Triad Election in the United States), was released in 2006.

Hilary Hongjin He, a doctoral student at the University of Western Sydney, stated that compared to its sequel, this film is "less political or suspicious" from a Mainland standpoint.^[3]

Plot[]

In Hong Kong, the triad Wo Lin Shing is in the process of electing its new chairman as the previous chairman's two-year term is expiring. The two leading contenders, Lok and Big D, are doing some last-minute "campaigning" days before the election. Lok is calm, patient and even-tempered, while Big D, who attempts to buy the election, is boisterous, impatient and quick-tempered. After some quarrelling among both candidates' supporters, Lok is elected the new chairman. Big D, dismayed by the result, punishes two men responsible for his loss by kidnapping them and rolling them down a hill in wooden boxes. Whistle, the ex-chairman, instructs his lieutenant Four-Eyes to hide the dragonhead baton, a symbol of the chairman's authority.

The police, under Chief Superintendent Hui's leadership, step in to prevent infighting and maintain the peace by arresting the triad's key figures, including Big D and Lok. During an attempt at peace negotiation, Big D threatens to break away from Wo Lin Shing and form a new triad. As the triad's culture emphasises brotherhood and unity, Big D's action would be unacceptable and could lead to violence, which both the triad key figures and the police wish to avoid.

In the meantime, both Lok and Big D's supporters have sent their henchmen to Guangzhou to retrieve the baton. After some intercepting and fighting between both sides, the baton ends up in Lok's hands just as he, Big D and the other triad key figures are released on bail. Lok, using the baton, secures his position as the triad's new chairman and proposes a truce to end the conflict. Big D accepts on the condition that they will be partners and that he will succeed Lok as chairman after two years. After some initial success in their "partnership", Lok ultimately turns on Big D and murders him and his wife during a fishing trip.

Cast[]

Development[]

According to To, he had no intention of making a version of this film for Mainland China. The production company made an altered version anyway, titled Longcheng Suiyue (Chinese: 龙城岁月; pinyin: Lóngchéng Suì​yuè; lit. 'Times at Dragon Town'). According to Hilary He, this version has "ten major cuts or changes".^[4] An undercover law enforcement agent is added in this version, while the scene revealing that a mafia member was being used by the PRC Central Government as a mole was omitted. One scene erases a mention of the Birth tourism in Hong Kong, where Mainland Chinese parents give birth in Hong Kong so their children become Hong Kong permanent residents.^[3] In this version all of the criminals face arrest and there is a scene where elders give lessons to youth about avoiding the mafia.^[4]

Release[]

Box office[]

At the end of its box-office run in Hong Kong, Election grossed about HK$15.59 million, which is considered to be quite high for a film that received a Category III rating (18+ restriction) in Hong Kong.

Reception[]

The A.V. Club's Ignatiy Vishnevetsky writes, "[Johnnie] To’s saga makes plain that self-interest, far more than traditional ideas about honor, defines contemporary crooks. While that’s hardly an astonishing revelation, the writer-director deftly generates suspense (as well as sly comedy) from a mood of all-consuming untrustworthiness. [...] Thrilling and amusing in equally dark measure, it’s an incisive portrait of a dysfunctional family-style organization struggling to update its sordid operation in an age of unchecked capitalist greed."^[5]

Distribution[]

Election was sold to more than 21 territories, including Optimum Releasing for the United Kingdom, ARP Sélection for France and Hopscotch Films for Australia, after screening at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival in competition. Tartan Films has acquired all United States rights to this movie as of May 2006.

Awards and nominations[]

The movie is notable in being nominated for 14 Golden Horse Awards in Hong Kong cinema. The film was named Best Film of 2005 in the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards, with To also clinching Best Director honours for the movie.

See also[]

• Election 2 (a.k.a. Triad Election)
• Johnnie To filmography
• List of Hong Kong films
• List of movies set in Hong Kong

References[]

External links[]

• Election at LoveHKFilm.com
• Election at IMDb
• Election at AllMovie
• Election at Rotten Tomatoes