Election details
| Format: | 18 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Nick Cheung, Simon Yam, Louis Koo, Tony Leung Ka Fai |
| Director: | Johnny To |
| Genres: | Thriller - General, World Cinema - Chinese |
| Studio: | ELEVATION |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Election |
18 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 40 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 11 Sep 2006 |
| Main languages: | Cantonese |
| Subtitles: | English |
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Most helpful review
Still life in Hong Kong
By Death Fish II from Between the land and the sky , 27 Oct 2006[Highly rated reviewer]
A welcome surprise. I've been despairing lately as Hong Kong cinema has been in steady decline for about five years, being populated as it is by pretty pop stars instead of actors. Director Johnny To seems to be doing more than anyone to keep it afloat though, and watch this to see why. It's a slow-burning crime thriller about the election of a triad godfather; when the loser takes his election defeat without grace, the race is on to gain possession of the ceremonial baton that goes with the job. It is not an action film, although there are fights in it; it's a well-plotted thriller with, for the most part, some of the best actors currently working in HK - particularly Simon Yam as the winning candidate and Tony Leung Ka-Fai as the loser. The latter initially seems too eye-rollingly loony, but he settles down. My only gripe was the subtitles - not that the dialogue is in Chinese, which I knew when I hired it (take note idiot writer of other 'review') but that the font used is absolutely huge. A highly recommended watch, and the last few minutes will leave you stunned.- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(11)To vote or not to vote.
By a customer from Midlands , 23 Jun 2009A ganster flick chop suey style. OK in places and fun at times, but you could keep your finger on the FFwrd button and still get the gist.- Was this review helpful to you?
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average
By a customer from London , 10 Apr 2009i actually saw election 2 before this and i felt election 2 was much better.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Good but couldve been excellent
By a customer from Bolton, England , 07 Oct 2008A interesting film that surprises you. When hong kong gangster films are mentioned you assume style, gruesome violence and plenty of action however this in most parts has none of the aforementioned. Instead the director tries to develop a smouldering drama focusing more on story and realism
The film follows the triad elders gathered to vote on who should be the next leader. However as the loser fails to accept defeat graciously the race is on to snatch power.
The violence apart from two section is non-existent. The gangsters for most of the film are seen as normal everyday people who do normal everyday things, they also prefer talking and discussion to avoid bloodshed.
However there are times in the story when violence would be justified but doesnt arrive and a section when it is gruesome and in excess when it isnt necessary. This very aspect leads to the story being compromised in a massive way that is hard to ignore in the end.
Good but couldve been excellent- Was this review helpful to you?
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Inscrutable.
By JohnnyX (100 reviews) from Bristol , 21 Sep 2008This is an extremely difficult film to understand. It doesn't help that it is in Cantonese with subtitles, since, quite often, when you're reading the subtitles you should be watching what's going on.
There is a very large number of different characters, and you have to remember all of the names and the faces, and where each individual is in the hierarchy of the 'society'.
Again, it doesn't help that the names are very unusual and the faces are all somewhat similar, and often return in a very different situation with different lighting and wearing different clothes. The various characters are also referred to in the dialogue, when they are not present, and this always makes a complex film difficult to follow.
I think that it is worth making the effort, but until I watch this film one more time I will not be able to confidently say how good it is.
There are two unexpected twists at the end, but the full significance of these twists is difficult to judge on a first viewing.
My first reaction is 'Blimey, if the Triads have to go through something like this every two years, when they elect a new chairman, then it's a wonder that they get any business done whatsoever !', but I think that the events shown in this film are exceptional, even in terms of the Triads.
This film is a puzzle wrapped up in an enigma enclosed in a mystery; it is as inscrutable as the race of the people who appear in it. It is very difficult to rate.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Election
By malo1 (9 reviews) from Chippenham , 11 Aug 2008double thumbs down - sorry Johnny - watch Exile instead :)- Was this review helpful to you?
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