Genre: Action/Drama
Director: Johnny To
Starring: Simon Yam, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung, Lam Ka Tung, Cheung Siu Fai, Lam Suet, Wong Tin Lam, Tam Ping Man
RunTime: 1 hr 35 mins
Released By: Eng Wah
Rating: M18 (Violence)

Release Date: 27 April 2006

Synopsis :

In post-1997 Hong Kong, even the long-established “Wo Shing” Triad Society has to succumb to the power of China. The entrepreneurial sect leader Jimmy (Louis Koo) seems to be the perfect candidate to lead the Society into the new Millennium. Only problem is, Jimmy wants out.
When Jimmy’s business venture in China stalls, the Mainland government approaches him with an offer: Become Wo Shing’s next Chairman and lead the Society according to Mainland government’s wishes. In return Jimmy will enjoy full government backing of his business empire. As other candidates engage in bitter struggle for the Chairman position, Jimmy begins to understand the real price he has to pay for the deal…

Movie Review:

We are thankful and glad that our friends at the Board of Film Censors have decided to give a M18-Clean rating to Election 2. It was in October last year that our local audience was presented with a “safer” version of the predecessor of this film. Triad ritual scenes and an “immoral” ending were edited in the local version of Election, leaving viewers with an incomplete picture of director Johnnie To’s award-winning work.

Six months and four Hong Kong Film Award trophies later, the auteur of Hong Kong male cinema is back with a sequel. Besides oozing with To’s signature masculinity, this 95-minute film has an added touch of political commentary about the relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Picking up two years after the last film, Wo Shing Triad Society is going to hold another election. Entrepreneurial Jimmy (a brooding Louis Koo) seems to be the best candidate, but he prefers to focus on his flourishing business in Mainland China. On the other hand, we have Lok (an underrated Simon Yam), who wants another two-year term being the leader of the triad.
When Jimmy realizes that being the leader may be the only solution to pursue his dream of being a successful business mogul, he goes all out to fight for the chairman position with Lok, resulting in some very bloody consequences.

To the average cinema-goer, this may sound like another typical backstabbing male-oriented drama. To those who are familiar with To’s works, his latest movie will be another triumph in his already critically-acclaimed filmography.

Winner of Best Director at the recent 25th Hong Kong Film Awards, To reliably delivers the goods - telling a story of power struggles and dominance in a gritty style. Those familiar with the political situation of Hong Kong and Mainland China will also find the film brilliant in its allegory of the current condition between the two states.

As there are quite a handful of characters in the film, viewers may be confused initially about the relationships between them. It definitely helps if you have caught the first film. Moreover, there are a few side plots which may confuse the uninitiated even more. These factors may cause the film to lose its viewers half an hour into the show.

However, we strongly recommend that one sit through the movie, simply because of its captivating cast and production values.

There are strong performances from the leading roles played by Koo and Yam to the numerous supporting characters played by familiar faces like Nick Cheung, Lam Ka Tung and Mark Cheng. Cheung exudes energy in his role as the loyal assassin; Lam portrays forcefulness in a character that might have been easily drowned out by such a strong ensemble of actors; while Cheng returns makes a return to the big screen as a ruthless hitman. Veteran actors like Wong Tin Lam and Tam Ping Man round up the cast as elders of the triad.

As if the chemistry between the actors is not explosive enough, viewers will also be treated to a visual cinematic experience. First rate cinematography by director of photography Cheng Siu Keung exemplifies the dark personalities of the characters by daringly playing up the chiaroscuros. The long-time collaborator of To succeeds in capturing the overwhelming brooding feel of the film. Add Lo Tayu’s main music theme and new original score material by Robert Ellis-Geiger to the mix, and you will get a satisfying viewing experience.

The literal translation of the film’s title is “harmony is a virtue”. At the end of the day, it will hopefully have viewers pondering, what price does one have to pay to maintain peace? And at what expense?

Movie Rating: -

(Another high-rate Johnnie To production trickling with masculinity that will satisfy the thinking audience)

Review by John Li