Product Details

• Actors: Louis Koo, Suet Lam, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Siu-Fai Cheung, Simon Yam
• Directors: Johnnie To
• Writers: Nai-Hoi Yau, Tin-Shing Yip
• Producers: Johnnie To, Catherine Chan, Dennis Law, Elos Gallo, Kok Leung Kuk
• Format: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Cantonese
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Tartan Video
• DVD Release Date: November 6, 2007
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000UNYJOU
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #74,335 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Election" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Every two years the senior members of the Wo Shing Triad, the oldest gang in Hong Kong, elect an up-and-coming younger boss as their chairman. The two candidates they are voting on couldn’t be farther apart in personality; Lok (Simon Yam) is a levelheaded businessman and Big D (Tony Leung Ka-Fai) is a loud, obnoxious, violent criminal. When the voting does not go how some people would have liked, lines are divided and a gang war begins to form.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First in the series from the modern master of Hong Kong cinema., December 13, 2007

By	MutantChaos - See all my reviews

Election is the first film in this gangster series (Triad Election is the sequel) from the greatest filmmaker currently working in Hong Kong, Johnnie To. If you aren't familiar with Mr. To's work, imagine John Woo with less action (at least in this film - watch Exiled, another top notch film, for more action oriented To fare) but a much better handle on story and storytelling than Woo ever had. This is less action/thrills oriented than Infernal Affairs (which it is sometimes compared to), but I think Election is a much better film.

The simple synopsis - two mob bosses, one all business and one all bluster, compete for leadership of their gang. When the election doesn't go the way some want, all hell breaks loose, threatening the stability of the already teetering Hong Kong underworld.

Tony Leung Ka Fai won the acting award for his Nicholson-esqe over-the-top performance as the loud mouth, obnoxious mob boss, but it is Simon Yam that really shines in his role - the transformation of his character over the course of this film is a 2-hour acting lesson that totally blew me away.

The U.S. DVD has all the special features that were on the Hong Kong 2-Disc Special Edition, but at a nicer price, and the transfer is excellent. I can't recommend this film enough, and the Tartan DVD is the way to go.

Attention Canadians - the Canadian release (not from Tartan) is bare-bones, this is the one to get if you are interested in special features!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The consequences of power - potent storytelling from a Hong Kong film master, August 5, 2009

By	Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Wo Shing triad is the oldest and most powerful gang in Hong Kong; they are also unique in their time-honored tradition of holding democratic elections among the various leaders for the big boss or chairman of the triad.This time around, succession will not happen without a fight. The two leading candidates have very different approaches to leadership, and neither can effectively lead while the other retains his strength. While "Big D" craves power for its own sake, "Lok" is a shrewd businessman and devoted father who sees crime as a means to an end and values stability, peace and tradition. When it comes time for a new leader, and "Big D" refuses to accept defeat, it looks like civil war within the triad is imminent.

Hong Kong director Johnnie To can do violence While I tend to prefer the stylistic flourishes of another major Hong Kong director, Wong Kar-Wai, there's no denying that Johnnie To's approach has a broader appeal, but doesn't dumb things down in the Hollywood blockbuster style. What is remarkable in this film is the restraint and the emphasis on the difficult choices that a leader, even a criminal leader, must make. There is no gun play, which is not to say that there is no brutal violence, but much of the action involves conversation. In the world depicted here it's not brutality but intelligence that prevail - though part of what the film shows is that a leader in this world has to be prepared to get his hands dirty. Since it is about the succession of power and the meaning of honor among organized criminals, "Election" deserves to be compared to Coppola's The Godfather (though a more apt comparison may be with GoodFellas). While they are very different films, both in tone and context and cultural background, they are both very effective in conveying the weight of tradition as it comes into conflict with greed and ambition. Both also focus on the moral impact on a leader of the means necessary to consolidate power. Finally, both are shot in a distinctive and effective style, and put the importance on character over chaotic action, but don't shy from conveying the brutality of mob violence. When violence does erupt in this film, it's not stylized and it's not pretty. Unlike a good deal of Hong Kong film, the criminals are not glamorized here, though neither is the law. It all comes to a devastating and powerful climax (about which I'll say nothing to avoid spoilers), where it is the subtle touches (the frightened monkeys, for example, and the son's looks) that add weight and poignancy together a violent episode.

Highly recommended for lovers of inventive Asian cinema and for its fresh take on the gangster film.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good crime drama well worth watching if only to set up the superb sequel, December 28, 2007

By	Trevor Willsmer (London, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Despite a tight narrative, Johnnie To's Election feels at times like it was once a longer picture, with many characters and plot strands abandoned or ultimately unresolved. Some of these are dealt with in the truly excellent and far superior sequel, Election 2: Harmony is a Virtue/Triad Election, but it's still a dependably enthralling thriller about a contested Triad election that bypasses the usual shootouts and explosions (though not the violence) in favor of constantly shifting alliances that can turn in the time it takes to make a phone call. It's also a film where the most ruthless character isn't always the most threatening one, as the chilling ending makes only too clear: one can imagine a lifetime of psychological counselling being necessary for all the trauma that one inflicts on one unfortunate bystander.

Extras aren't over-plentiful, but the interviews with Johnnie To, Simon Yam (always at his best under To's direction, and possibly never better here), Wang Tianlin and Tony Leung Ka Fei are more in-depth and thoughtful than usual. Also included are a brief featurette, stills galleries and trailers.