Ben Gulley Talks about Asian Movies He Watched On Netflix Part 4
Election
First, I need to start off with an important note. Much like Ong Bak 2, I don’t know the entire story of Election because there is a 2006 sequel I haven’t seen. I still think that movies that are part of a larger story can be judged individually, but it does mean there are aspects of it that I’ll be missing.
Election (2005, originally released as Hak Se Wui or Black Society) is a nice little twist on the triad movie, though it is occasionally muddled. The Wo Shing Society, a triad gang, is having its election for the new chairman. Lok (Simon Yam) and Big D (Tony Leung Ka-Fai…not THAT Tony Leung) are trying to politic their way into the position. There’s a fallout after the election that results in a multi-way dash for a dragon-head baton that is the symbol of leadership for the gang.
What follows is a series of betrayals and double-crosses as everyone tries to get that baton. There are at least 4 different factions at play, and I will admit that at times I was not sure exactly who was allied with who, and what exact roles each person played. Still the pace is kept brisk, so while you might be occasionally confused as to what exactly is going on, you probably won’t be bored.
If you’ve watched much Hong Kong cinema, then it also won’t surprise you that there’s a significant tonal shift about two thirds of the way through. All I will say about this final part is that it presents an utterly unromantic idea of the gangster life.
As I mentioned before, this is only the first part of the story, as I haven’t seen the sequel. That being said, Election holds up pretty well on its own, even though it does feel pretty slight. A few scenes stick out, but most of the movie around it can be described as competently executed though lacking in weight.
If you haven’t seen many Triad movies, then Election is a good entry point, and well-worth watching on Netflix. If you’ve seen a lot of Triad movies…well, you’ve probably alredy seen Election.
