Election 2

Year:2006
Director:Johnnie To Kei-Fung
Cast:Louis Koo Tin-Lok, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Wong Tin-Lam, You Yong, Lam Suet, Eddie Cheung Siu-Fai, Nick Cheung Ka-Fai, Gordon Lam Ka-Tung, Mark Cheng Ho-Nam, Andy On Chi-Kit, Tam Ping-Man
Description:

Last
fall, Election was the forceful bludgeoning
Hong Kong Cinema naysayers needed. Johnnie To's guide
to triad-run democracy was an entertaining, meticulously
assembled, and impressively controlled filmmaking
tour de force by the veteran director - and easily
the most accomplished Hong Kong film of the year.
To returns to rescue Hong Kong Cinema again with Election
2, a quick but astoundingly effective sequel that
logically extends upon the storylines and themes presented
in the original film. In Election we got an
exhilarating cinema primer on the triad election process,
and a peek at Hong Kong's cold-blooded soul. Election
2 is less exhilarating, but it compensates by
doubling the cold-blooded factor, plus it serves up
an ingenious reveal on the death of the election process.
It's early and there hasn't been much competition,
but Election 2 is so far the best Hong Kong
film of 2006.
It's been two years
since Lok bested Big D
for the chairperson seat of the Wo Sing triad, and
it's election time again. Lok has had a decent run,
but tradition demands a new head take charge every
two years. The candidates for Wo Sing's new chairperson
include Kun , whose edginess and sense
of entitlement recall Big D's, and the still-rabid
Jet , who's only a candidate because
Lok has fooled him into thinking he's one. Some people
want Jimmy to run, but he's too busy making
money with his pirate VCD factories to care. That
suits Lok just fine; as revealed at the end of Election
1, Lok is more ambitious and blindly power-hungry
than he initially seemed to be. Now that he's been
in charge for two years, he's reluctant to let the
seat go. And we mean really reluctant.
However, the smart pick
is still Jimmy, and he even has the support of many
of the "uncles" .
Jimmy is adamant about not entering the fray, but
he does a double-take when his business prospects
get threatened. Chinese Inspector Xi is
polite but firm about barring Jimmy's businesses from
the Mainland, the implication being that Jimmy needs
to have major rank in Wo Sing to gain pull with the
party muck-a-mucks. The threat of lost greenbacks
is enough to give Jimmy second thoughts; he throws
his hat in the ring. Lok is already convinced that
he can be Wo Sing's chairperson for a second term,
and manipulates Kun and Jet into helping support his
bid. But Jimmy is a smart guy, meaning he won't give
in to Lok's ambition - and he definitely won't go
fishing with the guy. With the line drawn, each candidate
squares off for a mano-a-mano election. Planned double-crosses,
crafty chicanery, and plenty of slow-burn buildup
follow, as the two triad heavyweights jockey for the
lead. Ultimately, it becomes clear that there's only
one sure way to win the election: kill the other guy.
And the battle begins.
And
what a battle it isn't. Like the first film, Election
2 is not home to Mexican standoffs, blazing gun
battles, or massive Young and Dangerous chopper
battles. No, the big battles in Election 2
are fought with brains and behind-the-scenes chess
matches involving kidnapping, threatened dismemberment,
and good old-fashioned logic. The result threatens
to be snooze-central, as much of the film's early
going seems to drag, and more often than not the buildup
leads to a conversation instead of red-blooded violence.
But the threat of violence is always present, and
the tension Johnnie To creates is rock-solid enough
to bludgeon a person. Election 2 is the type
of movie where someone could jump into frame and suddenly
club someone else and it would never feel inappropriate
or unwarranted. These guys are ugly, morally unbridled
people who will resort to nasty stuff to get the votes.
Truth and just cause are not important here; what's
important is getting what you want, and using everyone
around you to do it. Winning an election requires
tough, bloody, and sometimes stomach-churning action,
and both Lok and Jimmy are willing to dirty their
hands and feet to get the job done. And they do, in
a sometimes gory fashion that will probably please
those looking for some hint of meaty Category III
thrills. When it really gets going, Election 2
isn't morally murky, it's pitch black.
Election 2's
lack of happy times does provide a black comic thrill,
but it actually makes the film less fun than Election
1. The first film struck an audience chord in
its Lok vs. Big D dynamic, as each perfectly exemplified
an expected triad type. Big D was brash, self-aggrandizing,
and insecure, while Lok was cool, charismatic, and
seemingly righteous. The juxtaposition between the
two gave Election 1 its audience identification,
and Lok was easy to root for, as his righteousness
and coolly logical decision-making made him the charismatic
odds-on pick - that is, until he was revealed to
be two-faced and cruel, and probably the worst fishing
buddy in the history of time. The film was entertaining
and satisfying up until Johnnie To pulled the rug
out from underneath the audience, and the resulting
ugliness probably left some people with a bad aftertaste.
But it was fun while it lasted, and upon reflection,
the film was a resounding thematic success.
In contrast, Election
2 is much less fun, but it takes the lesson from Election 1 - that to play the game, you have
to be a bastard - and pushes it full force. The extremity
of Jimmy and Lok's competition is morbidly fascinating,
but To finds other ways to entertain. To milks some
welcome laughs out of the film's black situations
thanks to his usual deadpan absurdities, ironic repetition,
or moments of obtuse humor. The supporting actors,
including returnees Lam Suet and Eddie Cheung, are
funny without being cloying, and Mark Cheng is very
cool in as Jimmy's amoral, money-loving muscle. Simon
Yam is charming and chilling as Lok, Nick Cheung is
compelling and intense as Jet, and Louis Koo brings
a materialistic gravity to his portrayal of Jimmy.
His character has grown in command and stature since
the first film, and it's very clear why Jimmy enters
the election. Jimmy is a modern Hong Kong character,
i.e. he's the guy who's doing it for dough and for
the material comfort of his growing family. He's not
in it for the glory, the prestige, or the power. He
just wants the cash. And by becoming chairperson,
he'll get it.
But he'll also get more
than he bargained for. In Election 1, winning
was based on how the boys played the game, but in Election 2, it's the game that plays the boys.
Whereas the first film ended with a figurative and
literal blow to the head, Election 2's final
kicker is less a knockout punch than an insidious
slow-acting poison administered when you weren't paying
attention. Johnnie To serves up an ending that's dull
in execution, but ingenious in its fitting, logical
growth. The Election films are as much about
Hong Kong as they are about triad specifics, and with
that sociopolitical baggage in mind, Election 2 takes on wicked significance that's sure to please
local audiences - not to mention those worldwide
who like to watch their cinema with political agendas
in mind. It's cerebral rather than heady stuff, and
will probably earn further ire from Hong Kong Cinema
fans upset that Election 1's Category III rating
was about triad content, and not sex, violence, and
overdone histrionics. People looking for rock 'n roll
gangster action should avoid both these films.
Election 2 still
has its problems, as its slow-burn storytelling can
tax even the most patient Johnnie To fans, and lack
of audience connection can definitely alienate. But
fans of the original Election should be pleased
by Election 2's verbalized yet potent climax
and even the film's quiet and oddly unsettling final
moments. The mega-fan in all of us probably still
wishes To would go make A Hero Never Dies 2,
but Election 2 doesn't give us much room to
complain. This is an accomplished, mature Hong Kong
film that departs from the romantic and sometimes
pandering themes of heroism and righteousness present
in most Hong Kong gangster films, and trades them
for a cold-blooded, heartless reality that's compelling
because it seems to ring so true. If Election 3 is in the offing, we should all be so lucky.