Election (2005)

Overwhelming characters, underwhelming watching experience.

Election is a slow-paced gangster movie about The Triad that is beginner-friendly. It deep dives into the gripping and intimidating process of selecting the chairman of criminal syndicates and summarises the organisation's history, structure, and culture. It's gritty, cutthroat, and has an intriguing storyline.

However, I didn't enjoy the movie as much as I loved the premise. I often feel overwhelmed by the number of characters thrown into a scene. I get that it emphasises how huge the number of members The Triad has, but at a point, it gets confusing. I often forgot who was who and who they worked for. Also, aside from Uncle Teng, the supporting characters lacked backstories or distinguishable personalities that made them forgettable. If not for the hospital gown, I wouldn't have remembered what Whistle looked like. By the time the nine brethren came together, I could only identify Big D, Lok, and Jimmy among them.

As a gangster movie, I expected more ruthless, unforgiving scenes. The movie did well with the SFX, and I was impressed by how the blood and scars looked real, but despite being an action-packed movie, the action scenes aren't thrilling enough. The fighting choreography is dull and uneventful, which I expected more when it comes to a gangster movie. The tensions building up to the climax aren't suspenseful enough, and the ending is predictable. There's nothing wrong with a predictable ending, but the lack of thrill made the watching experience underwhelming and less satisfying.

However, despite the lack of tension and suspense, the movie addressed the organisation's internal conflict well with relentless twists and turns. Every character, although some were forgettable, has clear motivations. The casting is excellent. The actors and actresses brought their characters alive. Especially Tony Leung, who played Big D. The fact that I wanted to shout at Big D so badly shows that he knows how to portray an annoying, overbearing character who doesn't know how to shut up.

Altogether, I neither like or dislike it. The movie offers an intimate look at the bribery and power play in The Triad and serves you a bleak but realistic ending. It's not a must-watch, but I recommend this movie to people looking for a beginner-friendly movie about The Triad. Despite the overwhelming number of characters, as long as you remember Lok and Big D, you'll catch up with the plot just fine. I don't recommend this movie if you're looking for a gruesome gangster movie that doesn't shy away from bloody and violent scenes.

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